ANC ‘haemorrhaging’ support in Johannesburg as service delivery anger grows

Johannesburg’s water crisis could affect the ANC’s chances at the upcoming local elections. 

Political analyst Steven Friedman said the city’s current water crisis and lack of intervention could still affect the ANC’s vote, similarly to the last local elections.

While many urban areas have already stopped supporting the ANC, many rural, semi-rural and township areas are also moving away. 

Friedman explained that in the previous local elections, many areas such as Soweto, which the party could depend on, took their service delivery frustration to the polls.

“If you look over the last decade, the ANC has been battling in places like Soweto for a long time.”

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Friedman added that previous ANC voters might not stay at home but instead vote for smaller parties, such as the EFF or Patriotic Alliance.

He added that the Democratic Alliance will likely need to form a coalition, but it is uncertain whether they will be able to secure a stable government, given the fragmented vote.

“The haemorrhaging of the ANC vote is not going to make any difference to the fact that the DA, if it wants to govern Johannesburg, will have to go into a coalition.

“[And] there are ways in which Helen Zille could be a liability. She doesn’t have a reputation for being all that easy in collisions.”

To listen to Friedman in conversation with CapeTalk’s John Maytham, use the audio player below: