South Africans vote in municipal elections on November 4, with basic services, unemployment and crime topping the agenda in the country’s biggest cities.
In Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, Cape Town, Western Cape Province, concerns range from unreliable water and electricity supplies to joblessness, public safety and a lack of affordable housing.
Water shortages and unreliable electricity supplies have become symbols of municipal failures that have angered voters and eroded support for the ruling African National Congress.
About a third of Johannesburg’s water supply is lost, with ageing infrastructure, burst pipes, leaks and illegal connections among the main causes, according to the annual report of the city’s water agency.
City of Tshwane, Gauteng Province, which includes the administrative capital Pretoria, faces similar challenges from ageing water and electricity networks and maintenance backlogs.
In eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal Province, which includes the port city of Durban, more than half of its water supply is lost before it reaches paying customers due to ageing infrastructure, leaks and illegal connections, the city’s oversight report says.
Cape Town has directed significant investment towards water, electricity and transport infrastructure as it seeks to keep pace with population growth, though long-term water-security risks remain a concern.
Also, employment remains a key electoral issue, although labour-market conditions vary sharply between metros.
Johannesburg’s unemployment rate rose to 35.9% in the second quarter from 33.0% a year earlier, while Tshwane’s increased to 34.2% from 30.8%, according to Statistics SA.
Cape Town and eThekwini recorded the lowest unemployment rates among the major metros at 21.9% and 21.2%, respectively.
–Reuters–
