South Africa's local government elections of 2011

Abstract

This paper analyses South Africa's fourth local democratic elections that were held on 18 May 2011. Set within a brief context of global and national political-economic conditions, some recent local government elections in Africa, local community unrest in South Africa and the South African local government electoral system, the paper discusses the nature of the contestation that the principal political parties in the elections engaged in. Drawing on data from the 2001 and 2006 local government elections, and the national and provincial elections of 2004 and 2009, the paper highlights and discusses, with particular focus on the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, the critical results and trends stemming from the 2011 municipal elections. It concludes that the South African political landscape is volatile, with political parties having the opportunity to seize available political spaces.