00:00South Africans head to the polls next week with the basic services, crime and unemployment among the key issues shaping
00:08the local elections.
00:09In townships around Cape Town, residents say they are struggling with poor sanitation and a lack of police protection.
00:17Voters are also complaining about frequent water cuts with some questioning whether elections can bring meaningful change.
00:26I was going to bath for work. I went to the toilet and I saw young guys coming towards me.
00:34They then disappeared. I went into the toilet and locked the door.
00:39They shook the door. I started screaming for help.
00:43Another guy came and they ran away.
00:49The ANC lost its national parliamentary majority in 2024 after falling below 50% in local elections three years earlier.
00:57The Democratic Alliance is campaigning on the failure of ANC-led councils,
01:01while former President Jacob Zuma's MK party is also seeking to expand its influence.
01:07If the police leave now, we have to get out of the streets because they will be shooting.
01:13We are afraid it's not nice. In the informal settlement, things happen all over.
01:18It's not nice. We are suffering under these circumstances, considering people can't even go to work.
01:24They get shot.
01:27The November 4 polls promises a glimpse into whether frustrations with local government failures at changing political loyalties,
01:35including for the once long-dominant African National Congress, also known as ANC,
01:40ahead of the 2029 general election.
01:45Compare Kaelicha, compare it to, you know, to Tembisa or compare it to Alexander and tell me
01:50if the people of Kaelicha are not living a better life.
01:53We're not saying that it is a perfect life, but it is something that we're working on.
01:57And destiny is to then, you know, be managed a whole lot better.
02:00Only 46% of registered voters took part in the 2021 local elections.
02:05That is, as expected from Sunday, could reinforce South Africa's shift towards coalition government
02:10and test whether those coalitions can deliver more stable and effective local administrations.
02:15Holy Spirit.
02:16Lord, I guess your heart is a perfect life.
