Residents of Katlehong, a sprawling semi‑urban area bordering Johannesburg, have announced they will abstain from the November 4, 2024 local elections because 180 households have been forced to rely on illegal electricity connections for more than two decades, a situation they blame on the failing ANC‑led municipality.
Key facts:
- About 180 homes in the township have been using unauthorized power lines for over 20 years.
- The local elections are scheduled for 4 November 2024.
- The African National Congress (ANC) fell below 50 % in the 2021 municipal vote and just over 40 % in the 2024 national election, prompting coalition governments.
- Community leader Lesiba Rankapole, 59, said, “We have made a collective decision: no electricity, no vote.”
- Resident Enock Majola, 57, added, “I was born ANC, but today I do not want anyone to tell me about the ANC because I am suffering.”
Why are residents refusing to vote?
The illegal cables that snake along footpaths in the township were installed because the municipality never connected the area to the formal grid. Rankapole explained that without reliable electricity, children cannot study and families cannot survive. Others pointed to illegal dumping sites and chronic sewage problems as further evidence of municipal neglect.
How does this reflect broader ANC challenges?
The [African National Congress (ANC)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_National_Congress) once dominated South African politics, securing nearly 70 % of the vote in 2004. However, it slipped below 50 % in the 2021 municipal elections and barely crossed the 40 % threshold in the 2024 national poll, forcing it into a coalition government. Spin‑off parties such as the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), led by former president Jacob Zuma, are now contesting local elections for the first time.
What are other residents saying?
Meshack Twala, 58, described how he was digging to clear a blocked pipe while sewage flooded his street, questioning how anyone could vote when basic sanitation fails. Yet he admitted that if he did go to the polls, he would still support the ANC because “changing to other parties would not feel right.”
What do political analysts predict?
Political analyst Sethulego Matebesi noted that low turnout traditionally hurts the ANC, but the upcoming vote will give parties a clearer picture of their support bases ahead of the 2029 national election. He expects no single party to win an outright majority, meaning coalition‑building and “hung” municipalities will likely continue.
What is at stake in Johannesburg?
Of the 257 municipal councils up for grabs, control of [Johannesburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg) is especially coveted. The city, home to over 4.8 million people, epitomises South Africa’s stark inequality, with the affluent Sandton district towering over the impoverished Alexandra township. Residents there complain of rubbish, potholes and sewage, and many have turned to the [Democratic Alliance (DA)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Alliance_(South_Africa)) as an alternative. DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille warned that another five years of corruption would push the city beyond recovery, while ANC election head Mdumiseni Ntuli urged voters to remember the party’s historical role despite recent shortcomings.
Who else is in the mayoral race?
Former mayor and Action SA leader Herman Mashaba, 67, is campaigning for a second term, highlighting irregular refuse collection and street lighting failures. His remarks underscore the broader frustration with service delivery that is driving voters to reconsider long‑standing party loyalties.
The boycott threat in Katlehong therefore mirrors a nationwide erosion of confidence in the ANC, as service‑delivery failures become a decisive factor in South Africa’s local elections.