# South Africans vote amid anger over ANC failures in water and power supply

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/anc-faces-anger-over-poor-services-as-south-africans-vote-in-local-elections/
- Published: 2026-11-04T08:08:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T08:14:56+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/04/anc-south-africa-local-elections-water-outages-power-cuts
- Topics: Africa, Elections, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Voters are punishing the ANC over failing local services.
- Polls put the party below a third of the vote.
- Coalition talks may shape who governs major cities.

## Summary

South Africans are voting in local elections amid growing anger at the ANC over water outages, power cuts and deteriorating infrastructure. Polls suggest the party may win less than a third of the vote, though it is still expected to be the largest nationally; fragmented results could leave it negotiating coalition governments, whose instability has been linked to poor services.

The ANC’s support is down from 45.6% in the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national elections. In Johannesburg, a city of 4.8 million, water shortages have lasted more than a week and the city has had 10 mayors in 10 years; more than 800 people in nearby Bronkhorstspruit contracted a gastrointestinal illness from contaminated water in October. The Democratic Alliance leads polls in Gauteng’s three metros but is below 40%, while Jacob Zuma’s MK party is polling above 40% in eThekwini.

## Coverage

- [The Guardian: South Africans vote amid anger over ANC failures in water and power supply](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/04/anc-south-africa-local-elections-water-outages-power-cuts)
- [Al Jazeera: South Africans vote in local elections seen as test for embattled ANC](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/4/south-africans-vote-in-local-elections-seen-as-test-for-embattled-anc?traffic_source=rss)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.