South Africa votes under shadow of service failures

The vote comes as a weary electorate contends with crumbling infrastructure, dry taps, persistent inequality and unemployment above 30 percent, deepening public

A voter marks her ballot while standing inside the voting booth, during the special vote operation at the Durban City Hall in Durban on November 3, 2026, ahead of the 2026 South Africa Municipal Elections on November 4, 2026. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)

Polling stations open at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) and close at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT).

More than 29 million voters are registered but the last municipal elections, in 2021, drew fewer than half of them to the polls, with turnout at just 46 percent.

Of the 2.6 million people approved to cast special votes over two days, only 1.4 million did so, the electoral commission said Tuesday.

The African National Congress (ANC), which led the country's liberation struggle, remains projected to emerge as the largest party nationally, but polls point to a further erosion of its support.

Source: Citizen Digital