World player of the year Marx to leave Japan and return to South Africa

In South Africa, the upcoming local government elections on November 4 are putting voters' trust in democracy to the test. Ntombekhaya Makeleni, a 53-year-old resident of Khayelitsha township, relies on a bucket for sanitation after the communal toilets were breached. She hopes her vote will lead to improvements. The November 4 poll may reveal whether frustrations with local government failures are shifting political allegiances, including for the once-dominant African National Congress (ANC), ahead of the 2029 general election.

Basic services like water, power, and sanitation are major concerns for South Africa's 29 million registered voters. In Durban's Shallcross neighborhood, water cuts can last from three days to two weeks. Many voters, like 27-year-old Nikesh Nunkoo, doubt that anything will change in the next five years. The election field features over 500 registered parties, reflecting a fragmented political landscape as support for traditional powers such as the ANC has waned.

The ANC lost its national parliamentary majority in 2024, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) is governing Cape Town. Despite this, the party has run a campaign highlighting the failures of the ANC-led council. However, political commentator Kuhle Zwakala notes that residents, particularly in townships, still demand basic services, calling the focus on them 30 years after the end of apartheid "a shame."

Voter turnout is a critical factor, with only 46 percent of registered voters participating in the 2021 elections compared to 58.6 percent in 2024. The results may reinforce the trend toward coalition governments and test their stability. Younger South Africans, unconnected to the liberation era and affected by high unemployment, are less likely to see any benefit from voting.