ANC Support Plummets Ahead of South Africa Local Elections

Recent polling from Ipsos and the Social Research Foundation indicates a sharp decline in support for the African National Congress (ANC) leading up to South Africa's November local government elections. This trend of dynamic fragmentation shows voters dispersing among smaller parties rather than consolidating behind the Democratic Alliance. The uMkhonto weSizwe party is predicted to win an outright majority in eThekwini, while the ANC is expected to lose ground in other major metros, including Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay.

The party is currently embroiled in a dispute with the Electoral Commission over alleged technical glitches that hindered candidate submissions in the Eastern Cape. The commission has refused to reopen the candidate portal, and the ANC has yet to finalize mayoral candidates for several key metros.

Parallel to these electoral struggles, the Auditor-General reported severe financial mismanagement and infrastructure decay across multiple metros, noting that Mangaung is technically insolvent. David Lewis, founder of Corruption Watch, urged the ANC to purge corrupt members and establish stable coalitions to ensure consistent governance.