South Africa: “No electricity, no vote” — township anger targets the ANC

In Katlehong, near Johannesburg, around 180 households have relied on illegal electricity connections for more than 20 years because they have not been officially connected to the grid. Residents plan to punish local officials in the 4 November municipal elections, rallying behind the message “no electricity, no vote.” Their anger also concerns water outages, irregular waste collection, deteriorating infrastructure and poor management in several municipalities run by the ANC. The party, which dominated South African politics for decades, has seen its support erode and fell below 50% in the 2024 national elections.