South Africans vote in municipal elections on Wednesday amid anger over water outages, power cuts, crumbling infrastructure, corruption, crime, unemployment and poor public safety. The African National Congress (ANC), which Nelson Mandela led to power in 1994 as South Africa’s first black president, is still expected to remain the largest party but polls put its support below one-third, down from 45.6% in the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national elections. Fragmented results could leave the ANC leading coalition governments in some cities while losing control of others. Unstable coalitions already govern many of South Africa’s 257 municipalities, and analysts cite frequent leadership changes as a contributor to weak service delivery. Johannesburg, which has 4.8 million residents and has faced water shortages for more than a week, has had 10 mayors in 10 years. Ekurhuleni has had three mayors since 2021, while Tshwane’s mayoralty has changed hands between parties four times since 2020. More than 800 people contracted a gastrointestinal illness from contaminated water in Bronkhorstspruit, east of Tshwane, in October. In Gauteng, the country’s most populous province and economic engine, the Democratic Alliance leads polls in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane but remains below 40%. The ANC’s national leadership is open to a coalition with the DA in Gauteng, although local ANC leaders reportedly oppose such an arrangement. Johannesburg is also marked by rivalry between DA campaigner Helen Zille and ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, who has ruled out working with her. The ANC has three possible mayoral candidates amid factional infighting. In eThekwini, which includes Durban, Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe party is polling above 40%, while the ANC is around 10%, compared with 42% in 2021. The DA is expected to retain Cape Town but with less than the 58% it won in 2021, as housing costs weigh on its support. The electoral commission has a week to announce final results, after which parties have two weeks to form councils and elect mayors. The vote will also shape coalition politics ahead of the 2029 national election and the ANC’s succession contest as Cyril Ramaphosa nears the end of his term as party leader in 2027.