非洲人正在参加竞争激烈的地方选举，预计该国前执政党非洲人国民大会（ANC）将大量流失选票。
Africans are voting in highly contested local elections likely to see a haemorrhaging of votes for the country's former ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC).
今年的投票季以激烈的竞选活动为标志，其中包括政客们表演汽车漂移、观看奶奶们织毛衣，甚至涉水穿过巨大的坑洼。
This year's voting season has been marked by intense campaigns that have included politicians spinning cars, watching grannies knit and even wading through giant-sized potholes.
领导人们正在竞选领导南非近300个市政当局，这些机构负责供水、供电和垃圾收集等基本服务提供。
Leaders are campaigning to head South Africa's nearly 300 municipalities, responsible for basic service provision such as water, electricity and refuse collection.
对非国大而言，这些选举是证明其仍具备执政能力的机会。该党在上届大选中表现惨淡，自1994年种族隔离制度结束以来，首次失去了议会多数席位。
For the ANC, the elections are a chance to prove it still has what it takes to govern. The party had a disastrous showing in the last national election, when it lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 1994 when the racist apartheid system ended.
多年来，由于对高水平腐败、失业和犯罪的愤怒，该党的支持率大幅下降。
Support for the party has been dropping significantly over the years because of anger over high levels of corruption, unemployment and crime.
在2004年达到顶峰时，非国大在大选中获得了70%的选票。二十年后，其得票率降至40%。
At its peak, in 2004, the ANC got 70% of the vote in the general election. Two decades later its share dropped to 40%.
民调和专家预测，该党在本次选举中将进一步失利，但总统西里尔·拉马福萨否认其党处于下行螺旋中。
Polls and pundits have predicted a further loss in these elections but President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied that his party was in a downward spiral.
“我看到的是，非国大正蒸蒸日上，在11月4日我们将让那些唱衰者见识一下，”他在周日的该党最后一场竞选集会上对支持者说。
"What I'm seeing here is that the ANC is going higher and higher and on the 4th [of November] we will show those naysayers," he told supporters at the party's final election rally on Sunday.
在约翰内斯堡东北部的亚历山德拉等城镇贫民区，非国大传统上拥有强大的支持基础，但糟糕的治理和选民冷漠正在瓦解这一支持。
In townships like Alexandra, north-east of Johannesburg, the ANC has traditionally had a strong supporter base but poor governance and voter apathy are unravelling this support.
英国广播公司（BBC）在选举前一周走访了这个蔓延广阔的贫民区，并与居民交谈以了解他们的看法。其中一位是初次投票者桑内勒·恩托贝拉，他很兴奋能让自己的声音被听到。
The BBC visited the sprawling township a week before the elections and spoke to residents to get their views. One of them was Sanele Ntombela, who is a first-time voter excited to make his voice heard.
我们在街角发现了这位18岁的年轻人正和朋友们闲逛。他的大多数朋友表示无意投票，也没有登记注册。他们提到缺乏变化，以及基本服务提供状况日益恶化。但恩托姆贝拉期待着首次投票，并认为这可能会带来变化。
We found the 18-year-old hanging out with his friends on a street corner. Most of his friends said they had no intention of voting and had not registered to do so. They cited a lack of change and deteriorating delivery of basic services. But Ntombela was looking forward to voting for the first time and thought it might lead to change.
“我们在亚历山德拉面临许多挑战。到处都是垃圾，我们在电力和供水等方面也面临困难，还有许多其他问题，”他说。
"We face many challenges in Alexandra. There's rubbish everywhere and we struggle with electricity and water and many other issues," he said.
仅几米之外，成堆的垃圾堆积在一根电线杆下，电线杆上贴满了不同政党的竞选海报。
Just metres away, heaps of rubbish lay gathered beneath a streetlight pole covered in election posters from the different political parties.
街道另一侧，排水沟的水从布满坑洼、路面已被冲刷得千疮百孔的路段缓缓流过。
On the other side of the street, drain water trickles through the many potholes that have gutted that part of the road.
BBC还采访了赞迪勒·姆恩库贝，她表示即使已登记注册，也不会去投票。
The BBC also spoke to Zandile Mncube, who said she wouldn't vote, even though she is registered to do so.
这位33岁的女性同样以公共服务提供不力和地方领导人表现不佳为由，解释了她的决定。“（投票与否）没什么区别。多年来情况变得更糟了，”她说。
The 33-year-old woman also cited poor service delivery and performance by local leaders for her decision. "It makes no difference [whether I vote or not]. Things have gotten worse over the years," she said.
亚历山德拉（当地人称其为“Alex”）距离非洲最富有的“平方英里”——桑顿仅一箭之地，但两地的差异截然不同。
Alex, as the township is known, is a stone's throw away from Sandton, Africa's richest square mile, but the differences could not be starker.
桑顿以摩天大楼、名品店和保养良好的道路著称，而在亚历山德拉，房屋紧挨着房屋，垃圾或成堆堆放，或散落在人行道上，随处可见。未经处理的污水和未收集垃圾的恶臭弥漫在空气中，但居民似乎已习以为常。
Sandton is known for its skyscrapers, designer shops and well-maintained roads but in Alex, houses are sandwiched together and rubbish, either piled together or left strewn across the pavement, is everywhere. The stench of raw sewage and uncollected rubbish is heavy in the air, but residents appear used to it.
困扰亚历山德拉的问题并非个例。在豪登省开车转一圈，会发现类似的忽视和失修现象普遍存在，尤其是在城镇居住区。
The issues plaguing Alexandra are not unique. A drive around Gauteng province reveals similar patterns of neglect and disrepair, especially in the townships.
在约翰内斯堡以南，索韦托看起来比亚历山德拉稍微干净一些，但居民同样抱怨服务提供不力。
South of Johannesburg, Soweto looks marginally cleaner than Alexandra, but residents also complain about service delivery.
45岁的姆杜杜齐·马库博一生都生活在索韦托，他向BBC讲述了社区在获取水和电力方面的日常挣扎。“每周一我们知道下午2点后就会停水，”他说。
Mduduzi Makhubo, 45, has lived in Soweto his entire life and he told the BBC of the community's daily struggles with accessing water and electricity. "Every Monday we know we won't have water after 2pm," he said.
马库博已登记投票，并打算用手中的选票来应对当地领导人对居民的“傲慢”，并“改变现状”，这是他自己的说法。
Makhubo is registered to vote and intends to use his vote to deal with the "arrogance" he says local leaders have towards residents and "change the status quo".
这些地区虽小，却为人们提供了一个重要的窗口，让人们得以窥见南非地方治理的现状。
These areas offer a small, but important, glimpse into the state of South Africa's local governance.
多年来，审计长的报告一直强调南非257个市政当局中大多数处境的严峻性。
Years of reports by the auditor-general have highlighted the dire state of most of South Africa's 257 municipalities.
一份近期报告显示，在2024年至2025年间，仅有39个实体获得了无保留意见审计结果——这是公共实体所能达到的最高评级。豪登省的三大都会城市——约翰内斯堡、茨瓦内和埃库鲁莱尼——均未入选。
A recent report only gave 39 clean audits - the highest ranking a public entity can achieve - between 2024 and 2025. None of Gauteng's three metro cities, Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, featured in this list.
今年早些时候，审计长察卡尼·马卢莱克表示，约翰内斯堡“需要持续关注”。
Earlier this year auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke said Johannesburg "needs ongoing attention".
她对立法者说：“如果我们不这样做，我们将继续走下坡路，财务状况持续恶化，服务交付持续受损，这就是我们正在经历的现状。”
"If we don't that, we are going to continue on this slide where financial health deteriorates [and] where service delivery continues to be compromised, which is what we are living," she told lawmakers.
由于财政状况严峻，该市被贴上了“实际上破产”的标签。多年来，街道脏乱、电力供应不稳定和持续的水务问题已成常态。
The city has been labelled "effectively bankrupt" due to the dire state of its finances. Dirty streets, unstable electricity supply and persistent water issues have been common for years.
英国广播公司（BBC）采访的专家一致认为，当选举结果出炉时，所有目光都将聚焦于非洲最富裕的城市，以及该国其他七个最大的市政当局（即都会区），特别是豪登省的都会区。
Experts the BBC spoke to agreed that all eyes will be on Africa's wealthiest city as well as the country's seven other biggest municipalities, or metros, particularly those in Gauteng when the results come in.
在南非的八个都会区中，仅有三个由单一政党执政。在豪登省，所有三个都会区均由联合政府执政，非国大是最大党。但这种局面可能会改变。
Of South Africa's eight metros, only three are governed by a single party. In Gauteng, all three metros are governed by coalition governments, with the ANC the largest party. But that might change.
政治分析人士梅拉尼·弗尔沃德表示，此次选举将是对非国大的“裁决……和审判”。
Political analyst Melanie Verwoerd said the elections would be a "verdict ... and judgment" on the ANC.
她说：“普遍预期非国大在全国范围内的表现将是有史以来最差的。”
"And the expectation is that the ANC generally in the country is going to [perform] the worst it's ever done," she said.
多项民调显示，该党在周三选举中的支持率持续下滑，此次选举有500多个政党参选。
Several polls point to a continued decline in support for the party in Wednesday's election, contested by over 500 political parties.
其中，益普索（Ipsos）的一项民调显示，非国大的支持率为30%，低于其在2021年上届地方选举中获得的46%。
One, conducted by Ipsos, put the ANC's support at 30%, down from the 46% it got at the last local elections in 2021.
同一项民调以及其他民调显示，民主联盟（DA）的选举支持率略有上升，尤其是在约翰内斯堡。益普索预测，民主联盟在本次选举中将获得25%的支持率，高于上一次的22%。
The same poll, along with others, points to a slight increase in electoral support for the Democratic Alliance (DA), especially in Johannesburg. Ipsos predicts the DA will garner 25% support in this election, up from 22% last time.
民主联盟领导人海伦·齐勒一直在争取该市市长职位，其非同寻常的竞选活动引起了广泛关注。
DA leader Helen Zille has been vying for the mayoral chain in the city and her unusual campaign has attracted a lot of attention.
这位前开普敦市长曾被拍到在巨坑般的路面坑洼中游泳、滑索飞越地陷坑，并驾驶一辆经典的宝马325i（当地俗称“Gusheshe”）驶入她在该市的最后一场集会。
The former Cape Town mayor has been captured swimming in crater-sized potholes, ziplining over sinkholes and riding into her final rally in the city in a classic BMW 325i, known locally as a "Gusheshe".
她认为民主联盟是该国组建政府的最佳选择，上周在接受当地广播电台702采访时表示：“运行得最好的城镇和城市都在民主联盟的治理之下。”
She believes the DA is the country's best choice for a government, telling local radio broadcaster 702 last week that "towns and cities that work best are under DA governance".
费尔沃德曾任非国大议员和南非驻爱尔兰大使，她预测联合执政将继续成为豪登省各地的常态。
Verwoerd, a former ANC MP and South Africa's ambassador to Ireland, predicted that coalitions would continue being the order of the day across Gauteng.
这类安排在地方层面常被视为不稳定且混乱，因政党间决裂导致的领导层频繁更替，已影响许多市政当局的服务交付。
These types of arrangements have often been viewed as unstable and chaotic at a local level and the constant change in leadership, usually caused by parties falling out with each other, has affected service delivery in many municipalities.
费尔沃德表示，依她来看，最稳定的联盟将是那些复制非国大和民主联盟在国家层面所做安排的联盟，即这对历史宿敌已同意共享权力。
Verwoerd said in her view, the most stable coalitions would be those that replicate what the ANC and DA have done on a national level, where the historic rivals have agreed to share power.
谈到开普敦时，她说民主联盟不太可能失去对该市政当局的控制。这座沿海城市被广泛认为是全国表现最好的大都市，自2000年代末以来一直由民主联盟执政，当时民主联盟赶走了非国大。
Reflecting on Cape Town, she said it was unlikely that the DA would lose control of the municipality. The coastal city is widely considered the country's best-performing metro and has been run by the DA since the late 2000s when it unseated the ANC.
费尔沃德表示，夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省的港口城市德班所在的埃特奎尼将是“另一番景象”。
Ethekwini, which includes the port city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, would be a "different story", Verwoerd said.
预测显示，“民族之矛”（MK）党将在该地区表现良好，但尚不清楚它是否能获得绝对多数席位以单独执掌该大都市。民调表明它无法做到这一点，将需要合作伙伴组建政府。
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has been projected to perform well in the area but it is unclear if it will secure the outright majority needed to run the metro. Polls suggest it won't and will need partners to form a government.
该党由前南非总统雅各布·祖马创立，并在2024年省级选举中成为其家乡夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省最大的政党。
The party was founded by former South African President Jacob Zuma and was the biggest party across his home province of KwaZulu-Natal in the 2024 provincial election.
弗尔沃德指出，虽然该党有多种选择，但由于拒绝与ANC或DA合作，组建政府将“非常混乱”。
Verwoerd reflected that while various options were on the table for the party, forming a government would be "very messy" given its refusal to work with either the ANC or DA.
一位自信的祖马在周日向支持者发表讲话时，发誓在选举后接管若干市政当局。
A confident Zuma, addressing supporters on Sunday, vowed to take control of a number of municipalities after the elections.
另一位政治分析师德里·恩多博士呼应弗尔沃德的评估，表示在大多数大都市地区，DA与ANC之间的联盟似乎不可避免。
Another political analyst Dr Levy Ndou echoed Verwoerd's assessment, saying that a coalition between the DA and ANC seemed unavoidable in most metros.
“我们不确定全国统一政府的安排是否有可能影响大都市的治理方式，”他表示。
"We're not sure whether the arrangement of the government of national unity could have the potential to influence how the metros are going to be run," he said.
两位专家还谈到了南非选举中投票率下降的问题。超过2900万公民已注册投票，但尤其是年轻人中的投票率一直在稳步下降。
Both experts also spoke about the declining voter turnout in South Africa's elections. Over 29 million citizens are registered to vote, but the turnout, especially among young people, has seen a steady decline.
恩多将此归因于竞选候选人的“素质”以及地方议员的能见度不足，后者往往是被选为社区领袖的人，在选举活动中缺乏曝光。
Ndou attributed this to the "calibre" of the candidates campaigning and the lack of visibility of local councillors, who are often the ones elected to lead their neighbourhoods, in election campaigns.
南非选举委员会有七天时间公布结果，但政党有十四天时间组建执政结构。
South Africa's electoral commission has seven days to announce the results, but parties have 14 days to form a governing structure.
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