00:02South African President Cyril Ramaphosa cast his vote on Wednesday in Johannesburg.
00:08The country is holding municipal elections that are likely to give a measure of the national mood
00:13after several months of political unrest.
00:17Johannesburg, the city where the country's president voted, is considered a key battleground.
00:22The ANC governs the city in a frail coalition,
00:25but the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's biggest opposition party, could obtain more votes here.
00:32While the ANC still remains South Africa's most popular party,
00:36many voters have grown increasingly disillusioned.
00:40High unemployment, major infrastructure problems such as water shortages
00:44and persistent inequality have caused many voters to seek change.
00:50More than 29 million voters are registered,
00:53but the last municipal elections in 2021 drew fewer than half of them to the polls,
00:59with turnout at just 46 percent.
01:02The final results for the municipal elections are not expected before Sunday.
01:07Thank you very much.
