Johannesburg residents voice anger over rubbish, power cuts and potholes a week before local elections

Summary

One week before South Africa's local elections, the Guardian reports growing anger over run-down infrastructure in Johannesburg, the country's largest city. In the township of Alexandra, piles of rubbish rotted in the heat on pavements and roads, and at the Jukskei River, foul-smelling brown water flowed from a culvert past banks choked with rubble and litter. Semadi Manganye, chief executive of the environmental NGO Alexandra Water Warriors, said the area has too many challenges: "If it's not electricity, it's water. If it's not water, it's waste." The article asks whether voters will punish the ANC in next week's local elections.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   1 Nov 2026, 05:00 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that one week before South Africa's local elections, residents of Johannesburg's Alexandra township face rubbish piled on streets, a polluted Jukskei River, and anger over run-down infrastructure, including power cuts and potholes, and asks whether voters will punish the ANC.