South Africa's local elections: Can new councils fix broken services?
Part of composite article ANC Faces Toughest Test Yet as South Africans Vote in Local Elections on 4 November 2026 View full article →
South Africa's local elections are about more than campaign promises. The real test for incoming municipal councils will be whether they can govern effectively.
Three challenges stand out: administrative competence, maintaining infrastructure, and holding together unstable coalitions.