The governing African National Congress faces the possibility of seeing its support fall below 40 percent following previous national and municipal setbacks. Intense battles are underway in critical economic centers, including Johannesburg, where Democratic Alliance candidate Helen Zille may need coalition partners to lead a city that has cycled through five mayors in four years. Simultaneously, Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe party is staging a major challenge in Durban during its local election debut. Security forces are on alert after recording 21 election-related cases since Sunday, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal where 165 stations are deemed high risk.
Key points
The election serves as a critical measure of whether the governing party's support will f…: The election serves as a critical measure of whether the governing party's support will fall below 40 percent amid widespread public frustration.
Rising competition from opposition groups like the Democratic Alliance and the uMkhonto w…: Rising competition from opposition groups like the Democratic Alliance and the uMkhonto weSizwe party threatens traditional strongholds in Johannesburg and Durban.
Final election results expected on Sunday are anticipated to influence the future race to…: Final election results expected on Sunday are anticipated to influence the future race to succeed President Cyril Ramaphosa as party leader.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Polls suggest the governing party could fall below 40 percent as voters weigh failing services.
South Africans are voting in local elections widely seen as a verdict on the African National Congress (ANC), the party that led the country out of white minority rule in 1994 but has steadily lost support over the past decade.
Polls opened at 7am (05:00 GMT) on Wednesday and close at 9pm (19:00 GMT). A record 29.2 million people are registered to vote at 23,696 voting stations, according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). More than 1.4 million special votes were cast on Monday and Tuesday.
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