South Africa’s Local Vote On Monday Will Gauge Support For Ruling ANC

SOUTH Africans voted Monday in local government elections that will offer an indication if support for the ruling African National Congress has rebounded after waning in recent years.

The municipal elections, which take place every five years, determine the composition of councils responsible for providing essential services like water, waste management and sanitation. Councilors, in turn, elect city mayors.

The vote, the sixth local elections since the end of apartheid in 1994, comes amid South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with some polling stations setting up adjacent vaccination centers to encourage voters to cast their ballots and receive a shot.

Around 26 million South Africans are registered to vote in the elections and results are expected beginning early Tuesday.

Campaigning has largely focused on the ruling ANC’s apparent failure to provide essential services in cities and municipalities they govern. Compounding that is the national ANC government’s inability to ensure a stable