With Ward 120’s registered electorate declining by more than 12% since 2021, political parties face a crucial test ahead of the 4 November local government elections. The ANC won the previous ward contest, but strong showings by the DA, ActionSA and Al Jama-ah reveal a competitive political landscape in which voter participation and service delivery could prove decisive.
Ward 120 is heading into the 2026 local government elections with fewer registered voters than in 2021, a crowded field of candidates and a history of closely contested political support.
An analysis of the available electoral figures shows that the ward’s registered electorate has declined from 21,344 in 2021 to 18,757 in 2026, representing a reduction of 2,587 voters, or approximately 12.1%.
The ward, which includes Lenasia South and surrounding areas, has eight voting districts in the latest voter registration data.
The decline in registered voters is significant, particularly as neighbouring wards have experienced varying levels of growth and decline.
However, the reasons behind Ward 120’s reduction have not yet been established. Changes in electoral boundaries, voter transfers and registration patterns could all affect the figures.
It would therefore be premature to attribute the decline to residents leaving the area or losing interest in elections.
What the figures do establish is that political parties will be competing for support within a registered electorate that is numerically smaller than the one recorded in 2021.
ANC won in 2021, but opposition support was significant
The 2021 municipal elections saw the ANC’s Celstina Nzimande elected as Ward 120 councillor.
The supplied electoral breakdown records 3,017 votes for the ANC, representing approximately 36.9% of the valid votes in the relevant results dataset.
The DA followed with 1,409 votes, or 17.2%, while ActionSA received 1,296 votes, equivalent to 15.9%.
Al Jama-ah was close behind, receiving 1,242 votes, or approximately 15.2%.
These figures reveal an important feature of Ward 120’s political landscape: support was distributed across several parties rather than concentrated overwhelmingly behind one.
The difference between the ANC and the DA was 1,608 votes in the supplied party-results breakdown.
Meanwhile, the DA, ActionSA and Al Jama-ah were separated by just 167 votes.
The relatively small differences between those three parties suggest that Ward 120 had an established competitive opposition presence in the previous election.
However, party voting figures and individual ward-candidate results must be distinguished when assessing the outcome. Johannesburg voters cast separate ward and proportional representation ballots, and the two sets of results do not necessarily follow the same pattern.
The ANC’s 2021 ward victory provides the historical starting point, but the political balance ahead of November cannot be determined from previous results alone.
Ward 120: The numbers behind the election
| Electoral indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Registered voters in 2021 | 21,344 |
| Registered voters in 2026 | 18,757 |
| Decrease in registered voters | 2,587 |
| Percentage decrease | 12.1% |
| 2026 voting districts | 8 |
| Reported 2021 votes | 8,729 |
| 2026 candidate entries | 55 |
| Multi-ward candidate entries | 36 |
| 2021 ward-winning party | ANC |
Voter participation remains a concern
The available 2021 electoral data reflects 8,729 votes against 21,344 registered voters, equivalent to approximately 40.9% when the reported votes are divided by the registered electorate.
The official voter turnout percentage requires confirmation against the Electoral Commission’s original turnout report.
Nevertheless, the available figures point to a substantial participation challenge.
More than half of the registered electorate was not represented in the reported voting total.
This is an important consideration for political parties as they prepare their campaigns.
Winning support from voters who participated in 2021 will be crucial, but convincing previously absent voters to return to the polls could also influence the outcome.
The statistics alone cannot explain why residents did not participate.
Some may have been dissatisfied with political parties or municipal services, while others could have faced practical barriers or personal circumstances that prevented them from voting.
Understanding these reasons requires direct engagement with residents rather than assumptions based on election figures.
Water and infrastructure concerns enter the election debate
Beyond election statistics, service delivery is already featuring in the political conversation in Ward 120.
On 1 October, Globe Post reported on a campaign visit to Lenasia South by Democratic Alliance Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille, accompanied by the party’s Ward 120 candidate Kishore Badal and PR candidate Keneilwe Mokgora.
The visit focused attention on persistent water problems and infrastructure concerns, with the delegation inspecting conditions in the 525 Private Lands area and visiting the Lenasia Reservoir.
The visit illustrated how municipal service delivery has become part of the political contest ahead of the elections.
However, campaign visits and political statements are not, on their own, evidence that a party has the ability to resolve longstanding infrastructure challenges.
Residents are entitled to question all candidates about the practical steps they propose, the municipal responsibilities involved and how they intend to hold the administration accountable.
Water supply, infrastructure maintenance and effective communication between municipal authorities and communities are matters that require sustained attention beyond election campaigns.
A crowded ballot, but how many candidates are locally involved?
Ward 120 has 55 candidate entries in the supplied 2026 election analysis.
Of these, 36 are associated with individuals who are also standing in other wards across Johannesburg.
This means approximately 65.5% of the ward’s candidate entries involve multi-ward candidacies.
The practice is permitted under South Africa’s municipal electoral framework.
Political parties have an incentive to contest multiple wards because votes received by party ward candidates contribute to the calculation of overall proportional representation in metropolitan councils.
However, the system also raises questions about the relationship between candidates and the communities they seek to represent.
Residents may want to know whether candidates are familiar with Ward 120’s service delivery concerns, how frequently they engage with local communities and whether they have practical plans for improving municipal accountability.
A candidate standing in more than one ward should not automatically be regarded as less committed. Equally, appearing on a ballot paper is not evidence of meaningful local engagement.
The credibility of candidates should ultimately be assessed on their records, accessibility and plans for representing residents.
Can opposition parties challenge the ANC?
The 2021 figures indicate that Ward 120 was not a straightforward two-party contest.
The DA, ActionSA and Al Jama-ah each recorded significant support, creating a politically competitive environment.
For the ANC, the upcoming election presents an opportunity to defend the ward it won in 2021.
For opposition parties, the challenge is to persuade residents that they can provide more effective representation and address local concerns.
The distribution of votes in 2021 suggests that differences in voter participation and changes in political preferences could be important.
However, opposition votes cannot simply be added together to predict whether the ANC will lose.
Political parties have different voter bases, and previous supporters may vote differently, stay away or support other candidates in 2026.
The outcome will depend on how successfully candidates mobilise support and convince residents that they deserve the ward’s mandate.
Five years later: The accountability question
The ANC’s victory in Ward 120 in 2021 placed responsibility on its elected representative to serve the interests of the ward.
As residents prepare to vote again, questions about political accountability deserve as much attention as the number of candidates contesting the election.
What has been achieved since 2021? Which community concerns have been raised in council? How effectively have residents been kept informed about service delivery developments?
And where problems remain unresolved, what explanations have been provided?
Ward councillors do not personally control every municipal service, but they play an important role in representing residents, engaging municipal departments and ensuring that community concerns are brought into council processes.
The performance of the previous municipal term should therefore be evaluated using council records, documented service delivery developments and the experiences of residents.
Political parties seeking election should also be expected to explain how their promises will be implemented and what realistic improvements they can deliver.
What the smaller registered electorate means
Ward 120’s decline of 2,587 registered voters is one of the notable developments in the latest electoral data.
It represents a change of approximately one in every eight voters on the 2021 registered-voter roll, although the net reduction does not identify how many individuals registered, moved or were removed.
The decline does not automatically benefit or disadvantage any particular party.
Nor does it mean that fewer residents will necessarily vote in 2026.
Voter turnout is determined by actual participation, and a smaller registered electorate could still produce more votes if a higher proportion of registered voters goes to the polls.
The important question is whether candidates can encourage residents to participate and whether voters believe the election offers an opportunity to improve local representation.
A test of political credibility in Lenasia South
As election day approaches, Ward 120 offers a clear example of the challenges confronting local democracy.
The ward has a smaller registered electorate than in 2021, a historically competitive political environment and more than 50 candidate entries.
Its residents are also faced with important questions about municipal service delivery and political accountability.
The ANC will be seeking to defend its previous victory, while opposition parties and other candidates will attempt to persuade voters that they offer a credible alternative.
But the election should not be judged solely by the eventual winner.
For Lenasia South residents, the more important test is whether the political contest produces greater responsiveness, stronger accountability and meaningful attention to community concerns.
On 4 November, Ward 120 voters will decide who represents them for the next municipal term. The challenge for the successful candidate will be to demonstrate that their commitment to the community extends well beyond election day.
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