Local government is where politics gets real — your water, roads, rates, rubbish and electricity. But how much do we actually understand about the people and systems running our municipalities?
In a podcast brought to you by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, journalist Nickolaus Bauer cuts through the jargon, political noise and municipal mythology in South Africa’s Easy Elections Guide: Local Government 2026.
In this episode, he digs into the district municipality of Ehlanezi, home to Mbombela, Bushbuckridge and Thaba Chweu, among others. The ANC stronghold is a place of opportunity — gateway to the Kruger National Park, at the intersection of major trade routes, and home to agricultural wealth — if it can get water delivery right. While the constituent municipality of Mbombela may be on its way to a hung council, Ehlanezi itself looks set to stay safely in ANC hands.