South Africans vote in local elections expected to push the ANC below a third of the vote

Summary

South Africans voted on Wednesday in local elections that test the African National Congress, the party that led the country out of apartheid in 1994 and has seen declining support over the last decade. Voters are angry over water outages, power cuts and crumbling infrastructure. The ANC is still likely to be the largest party, but polls show it getting less than a third of the vote, down from 45.6% at the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national elections.

Timeline

1. ABC News

   4 Nov 2026, 12:02 UTCSource ↗

   ABC News reports that South Africans are voting in local elections that test the ANC, which has seen declining support over the last decade, and that the vote could continue that decline.

2. The Guardian

   4 Nov 2026, 14:50 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that the ANC is on course for a bruising result in South Africa's local elections on Wednesday, with polls showing it getting less than a third of the vote, down from 45.6% at the last municipal elections in 2021, amid frustration over water outages and power cuts.