South Africans are heading to the polls for local elections, and the mood on the ground is clear: people are exhausted. Residents speaking to the BBC say the quality of services they receive has fallen far below what they expect, and patience is running thin.
The ruling African National Congress is feeling that pressure. For many communities across the country, the gap between political promises and everyday reality has become impossible to ignore. Water shortages, unreliable electricity, and crumbling infrastructure are not abstract policy debates. They are daily inconveniences that shape how people live and, now, how they vote.
Whether the ballot box will translate frustration into real change is the question hanging over this election season.
Originally published by BBC Africa.