Key facts
- More than 29 million voters are registered for the municipal elections, the report said.
- Turnout in the last municipal elections in 2021 was 46%, according to the report.
- Voting was largely incident-free more than four hours after polls opened at 7am (0500 GMT), the report said.
- Opinion polls cited in the report project DA candidate Helen Zille winning the most votes in Johannesburg but falling short of a majority.
- Johannesburg has had seven mayors since 2021 as successive coalition governments collapsed, the report said.
South Africans queued from early on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, to vote in municipal elections, with anger over corruption, crime and failing public services threatening to inflict fresh losses on the African National Congress, according to a report published on November 5, 2026.
The ANC, the party of Nelson Mandela, fell below 50% support for the first time in municipal elections in 2021 and could drop below 40% this time, according to opinion polls cited in the report. More than 29 million voters are registered, but the last municipal elections in 2021 drew a turnout of just 46%, the report said.
Voting was largely incident-free more than four hours after polls opened at 7am (0500 GMT), the report said. With no other party large enough to take the ANC's place, many cities are heading for unstable coalition governments that have been partly blamed for failing to deliver basic services, including water and electricity, according to the report.
"I have seen the challenges that we face at local government level, but we are determined to rebuild our local government structure," President Cyril Ramaphosa said after voting in Johannesburg, the report said.
Voters' concerns cited in the report include unreliable water and electricity supplies, unemployment, crime and a lack of affordable housing. Johannesburg, long an ANC stronghold, is considered one of the largest prizes of the polls as South Africa's commercial hub. The city has had seven mayors since 2021 as successive coalition governments collapsed, the report said.
Among the ANC's opponents, the Democratic Alliance's candidate Helen Zille launched an energetic campaign for mayor, and opinion polls project she will win the most votes but fall short of a majority, according to the report. Other metro areas to watch include Tshwane, home to the administrative capital Pretoria, and eThekwini, which includes the port city of Durban, the report said.