Local election count nears end: who runs your water, roads

Vote counting is nearly done. The Electoral Commission reports 97% of counting is complete in local government elections that will decide who controls municipal budgets and services across South Africa, with rolling coverage continuing.

For residents, the stakes could hardly be more everyday. Whoever takes over their municipalities will decide whether water runs, electricity holds and roads get fixed. Analysts describe service delivery, accountability and governance as the biggest test facing the incoming administrations: turning political promises into visible improvements in communities, and restoring confidence in local government long after the last ballot is counted.

President Cyril Ramaphosa set out what is at stake in his weekly newsletter on Monday. He pointed to allegations of corruption, tender manipulation and councillors being bought by business interests, and warned that violence and intimidation must not undermine the elections. The polls, he said, give voters a chance to reshape their municipalities and demand better services, even as corruption, patronage and power struggles have damaged public trust in local government.

Meanwhile, the outcome is likely to be shaped by a fragmented political landscape. An Ipsos Khayabus Pulse of the People survey published ahead of the vote found no party with majority support nationally. Among registered voters choosing a party on a simulated ballot, the ANC drew 30%, the DA 28%, the MK Party 12% and the EFF 10%. That points to further coalition arrangements in municipalities, a trend that has reshaped local government in recent years. In eThekwini, the MK Party has indicated it is preparing for the possibility of taking control of the municipality and its R75 billion budget, though any coalition talks remain to be seen.

Safety around the vote has weighed heavily on the public. Police have recorded 20 murders involving political representatives, party members and supporters during the election period, with seven arrests in connection with the killings. A further 139 election-related criminal dockets have been registered nationally, resulting in 48 arrests, according to NATJOINTS. The SANDF is on standby to back up police in identified hotspots, and intelligence-led operations are active across all nine provinces.

In KwaZulu-Natal, thousands of officers are deployed to secure more than 4,300 voting stations, results centres and other election sites. The province has more than 5.8 million registered voters across 54 municipalities.

What has also tested voters is misinformation and possible intimidation. The Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change identified 79 potentially harmful social media posts over a seven-day period, including claims of election rigging and calls for people to confront foreign nationals at voting stations. The organisation cautioned that its findings did not independently establish coordinated activity or impending violence.

By contrast, the special voting process, which lets people unable to visit a station on polling day vote in advance, ran with logistical hiccups rather than threats. More than 780,000 special votes were cast on the first day, according to the IEC, despite delays at some stations. In Cape Town, more than 200 stations reportedly faced ballot paper shortages.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the IEC is investigating an overnight break-in at Amahlongwa Community Hall in which three ballot boxes and other voting equipment were stolen. The commission said the incident would not affect special voting, since ballot papers and the validation stamps were kept in secure storage.

Stations opened from 7am to 9pm on Wednesday, with the focus on ensuring people could vote safely and that results reflect their choices. IOL journalists are in the field speaking to political leaders, analysts and communities, and readers can follow the live blog as the final results come in. Will the new administrations deliver the services residents are waiting for?