00:00South Africans head to the polls next week with basic services, crime and unemployment
00:06among the key issues shaping the local elections.
00:09In townships around Cape Town, residents say they are struggling with poor sanitation and
00:15a lack of police protection.
00:17Voters are also complaining about frequent water cuts with some questioning whether
00:21elections can bring meaningful change.
00:26I was going to bath for work.
00:29I went to the toilet and I saw young guys coming towards me.
00:34They then disappeared.
00:35I went into the toilet and locked the door.
00:39They shook the door.
00:40I 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
00:56three years earlier.
00:57The Democratic Alliance is campaigning on the failure of ANC-led councils, while former President
01:02Jacob 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.
01:15In the informal settlement, things happen all over.
01:18It's not nice.
01:19We 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
01:33are changing political loyalties, including for the once long-dominant African National Congress,
01:39also known as ANC, ahead of the 2029 general election.
01:45Compare it to Tembisa or compare it to Alexander and tell me if the people of Kaelica are not
01:52living a better life.
01:53We are not saying that it is a perfect life, but it is something that we are working on.
01:57And that's the issue then, you know, be managed a whole lot better.
02:00Only 46% of registered voters took part in the 2021 local elections.
02:05The results 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.
