South Africans will be voting in local government elections on Monday. People will be electing local decision-makers for their communities and not the political party to lead the country at large. They will vote for district councillors and mayors who will be tasked with the delivery of basic services like water and sanitation, waste removal, electricity and road maintenance. However, voter apathy remains high. The Independent Electoral Commission has said a third of eligible voters still haven’t registered to cast the ballots. More than 320 political parties are contesting in the elections. The governing African National Congress (ANC) party faces a tough test following a string of corruption scandals and infighting. The official opposition Democratic Alliance hopes to increase its footprint but independent candidates and newly formed parties like ActionSA are also likely to gain support.
