No electricity, no vote: South Africans threaten to shun ANC

In Katlehong, near Johannesburg, 180 households have relied on illegal electricity connections for more than 20 years because they have not been connected to the grid. Community leader Lesiba Rankapole says residents will shun the November 4 local elections unless the problem is addressed, while others complain about illegal dumping and persistent sewage failures. The ANC, which won 46 percent of the vote in the 2021 local elections and just over 40 percent nationally in 2024, faces declining support and the prospect of councils without outright majorities.