South Africans Vote in Local Elections Across 257 Municipalities

South Africans began voting Wednesday in local government elections that will determine the makeup of councils across 257 municipalities, including the country’s eight metropolitan areas. Polling opened at 7 a.m. local time, with results and the balance of power in municipal councils still pending. Voters are choosing councillors for 10,526 seats. Mayors are not elected directly; municipal councils select them after the election. The Electoral Commission of South Africa said stations had opened successfully almost everywhere, according to its chair, Mosotho Moepya. His statement did not mean every station was free of problems. More than 29 million people are registered to vote at about 23,700 polling stations. Stations are scheduled to close at 9 p.m. local time. The IEC reported that 1,425,942 people cast special votes over two days before election day. Those ballots are to be counted with the other votes after polls close. The election tests the reach of the African National Congress, which has lost support in recent national and local contests. It received 45.59% of valid votes in the 2021 municipal election and 40.18% in the 2024 national election, when it lost its...