00:00South Africans vote on Wednesday in a closely washed local government election
00:05with the parties battling for control of major cities in a contest expected to offer a measure of the national
00:11mood
00:11before the next national polls.
00:13The vote comes as a weary electorate contains with crumbling infrastructure,
00:19dry taps, persistent inequality and unemployment above 30%,
00:24deepening public disillusionment with the political establishment.
00:28The polling stations open at 7 a.m. local time and close at 9 p.m.
00:33More than 29 million voters are registered by the last municipal elections in 2021,
00:39drew fewer than half of them to the polls, with turnout at just 46%.
00:44The African National Congress, which led the country's liberation struggle,
00:48remains projected to emerge as the largest party nationally,
00:52but polls point to a further erosion of its support.
