South Africa: 257 municipal councils at stake this November 4, with Johannesburg's water at the heart of the vote

South Africans are heading to the polls this Wednesday, November 4, 2026, to renew their municipal councils, an election placed under extreme tension by water shortages in Johannesburg, rumors of electoral fraud, and a surge in anti-migrant rhetoric. According to a tally by the Daily Maverick cited by allAfrica, 257 councils are at stake, and polling institutes expect coalitions to dominate.

Early voting has been massive: according to the website Scrolla, cited by allAfrica, 2,655,067 voters were authorized to participate, more than double the figure from 2021, and nearly 680,000 people are scheduled for home visits.

Water, the primary campaign issue

In Johannesburg, home to approximately five million residents, authorities stated on November 2, 2026, that they were working to restore reliable distribution after nearly two weeks of disruptions, reports Africanews. Mayor Dada Morero acknowledged that taps had been dry for at least ten days in some neighborhoods, dating the outages back to October 19, 2026, and blaming high consumption and leaks in an aging network that would cost billions of rands to repair. Reserves had risen back to 41% by November 2. Provincial Premier Panyaza Lesufi linked the decline to the El Niño phenomenon.

The problem extends beyond the economic capital. An investigation by the South African Human Rights Commission established that nearly 45% of the water flowing through Johannesburg's municipal pipes was lost due to infrastructure failures, and noted a lack of engineers in several Gauteng municipalities. Prolonged outages have also been reported in Durban. About two weeks before the vote, residents of Tshwane were advised to stop drinking tap water after approximately 800 people fell ill, according to Africanews.

Rumors of fraud and targeting of foreigners

The Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC) has recorded more than 15,310 mentions of the election on social media, with irregular immigration topping the list of topics. Its monitoring identified 79 posts deemed potentially harmful, mixing accusations of fraud, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and calls to gather outside polling stations to prevent foreigners from voting. The center warns that these unsubstantiated allegations and xenophobic narratives reinforce one another and fuel hostility toward migrant communities. The inter-agency body Natjoints has banned all campaigning on election day, and the military has declared itself ready to support the police in high-risk areas.

The stakes go beyond waste management and water meters. The ANC, the leading party in the government of national unity, is expected to face further decline, writes Africanews: this municipal election serves as a dress rehearsal ahead of the 2029 national elections. For millions of voters, the ballot on this November 4 will primarily serve as a judgment on public services that are no longer flowing.