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ANC loses its outright majorities in South Africa's metros

ANC loses its outright majorities in South Africa's metros

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Final results give the ANC 30.76% nationally, its weakest local showing since 1994, and leave 127 councils without a majority as coalition talks begin

2 days ago: ANC leadership meets on coalition strategy

Overview

Updated 2 days ago

Final results give the African National Congress 30.76% of the municipal vote, down from 45.59% in 2021. The Democratic Alliance finished second at 24.64% and Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe Party third at 9.76%. The DA won Cape Town outright, and no party took a majority in the other seven metros.

Final results left 127 of 213 councils without a majority, and parties have 14 days to form city governments. The ANC's executive committee meets on Thursday to settle coalition strategy. In Johannesburg the DA won 91 seats and ActionSA 43, short of the 136 needed to govern.

Why it matters

Every hung metro now depends on a deal: which parties pair up decides who runs Johannesburg's water, power and roads.

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Key Indicators

30.76%
ANC national vote share
Final result, down from 45.59% in 2021.
24.64%
Democratic Alliance national share
Final result; second nationally.
9.76%
MK Party national share
Final result; third nationally and topped the poll in eThekwini.
45.59%
ANC share in 2021 municipal vote
The party's previous local election result.
127
Hung councils
Councils with no majority party, out of 213.
53
Councils the ANC controls outright
Out of 213 councils nationwide.

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People Involved

Cyril Ramaphosa
Cyril Ramaphosa
President of South Africa and president of the ANC
Called for parties to cooperate in forming councils after final results left 127 without a majority
 Fikile Mbalula
Fikile Mbalula
Secretary-general of the African National Congress
Says the result is catastrophic and the ANC will not beg for positions in coalition talks
 Helen Zille
Helen Zille
Democratic Alliance veteran
DA won 91 Johannesburg seats; her mayoral bid depends on coalition terms and ActionSA's stance
 Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma
Former president of South Africa, leader of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party)
MK Party placed third nationally at 9.76% and topped the poll in eThekwini
 Dale McKinley
Dale McKinley
Political analyst
Commenting on the ANC's decline

Organizations Involved

African National Congress (ANC)
African National Congress (ANC)
Political party
Largest party at 30.76%; 127 councils hung; leadership meeting on coalition strategy

South Africa's governing party since 1994, now facing its lowest municipal vote share since the end of apartheid.
Democratic Alliance (DA)
Democratic Alliance (DA)
Political Party
Second nationally at 24.64%; leads Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay; outright majority in Cape Town

The main opposition party, now the largest party in most of South Africa's metros.
PA
uMkhonto weSizwe Party
Political party
Third nationally at 9.76%; topped the poll in eThekwini

Jacob Zuma's party, contesting its first municipal elections as a national force.
Electoral Commission of South Africa
Electoral Commission of South Africa
Election authority
Declared the final 2026 municipal results on 8 November

The body that runs South African elections and publishes the vote tally.

Timeline

12 events Latest: 2 days ago Showing 8 of 12
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. ANC leadership meets on coalition strategy

    Latest Politics

    The national working committee met, with the executive committee due on Thursday to adopt options from the party's coalition task team.

  2. Ramaphosa urges parties to cooperate

    Statement

    In his weekly letter, the president said parties must reach agreements so councils can be constituted and start work.

  3. ANC considers court challenge over Emfuleni

    Legal

    ANC structures recommended taking the Electoral Commission to the Electoral Court over Emfuleni results, where the DA led 40.9% to 23.9%, the party's deputy secretary-general said.

  4. With 99% counted, ANC falls to about 31%

    Election result

    The ANC's worst municipal showing since 1994; final results were due at 6 p.m.

  5. No outright majority in seven of the eight metros

    Election result

    The DA won Cape Town outright with 56.42%; Johannesburg, Tshwane, eThekwini and the other four metros depend on coalitions.

  6. DA leads Johannesburg count at 34.8%

    Election result

    The ANC sits near 20.3% in the city, opening a mayoral path for DA veteran Helen Zille.

  7. Final results confirm ANC at 30.76%

    Election result

    The ANC fell from 45.59% in 2021. The DA took 24.64%, MK 9.76% and the EFF 6.22%; 127 of 213 councils had no majority.

  8. DA wins Cape Town outright, leads four other metros

    Election result

    The DA took 56.42% in Cape Town, the only metro with an outright majority, and led the count in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay.

  9. MK Party tops eThekwini poll

    Election result

    Jacob Zuma's party led the count in eThekwini and finished third nationally at 9.76%.

  10. Mbalula concedes service failures cost votes

    Statement

    The ANC's secretary-general said water, electricity and fuel-price complaints made door-to-door campaigning hard.

  11. ANC says councils will be settled in talks

    Statement

    The party acknowledged no outright majorities and said coalition shape would follow the count.

  12. ANC slides toward 32% as count passes 60%

    Election count

    Partial results put the ANC near 32% and the DA near 25%, pointing to a historic loss.

Scenarios

1

DA-led coalition elects Helen Zille mayor of Johannesburg

Possible Resolves by Nov 22, 2026

Discussed by: Reuters and IOL, citing Johannesburg seat counts and ActionSA statements

The DA won 91 of Johannesburg's 270 council seats and ActionSA 43, leaving them two short of the 136 needed to govern together. ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba told Reuters he would not support the DA with Zille as mayoral candidate, though the party later said it was not ruling out an arrangement involving her. Zille has said she would prefer a two-party coalition with either ActionSA or the ANC.

2

ANC holds a metro through a deal with MK or smaller parties

Uncertain Resolves by Nov 22, 2026

Discussed by: IOL, Reuters and Sowetan reporting on hung councils and ANC coalition options

The ANC's national working committee met on 9 November and its executive committee meets on Thursday to adopt coalition options. In eThekwini its share fell to 16.46% and MK topped the poll, so any ANC-led council there would need partners. MK controls three KwaZulu-Natal municipalities outright and is short in 15 others, making it a decisive partner in the province.

3

Talks deadlock and councils run without majority agreements

Possible Resolves by Nov 30, 2026

Discussed by: Political analysts Dale McKinley and Ntsikelelo Breakfast, commenting on the fragmented map

127 councils have no majority party, up from 66 in 2021. If negotiations fail, councils can still convene and elect mayors through shifting votes, producing minority administrations that struggle to pass budgets. That outcome would extend the pattern of unstable local government seen since the 2016 vote, when 27 councils were hung.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

August 2016

Municipal elections (2016)

The ANC lost control of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay to opposition coalitions, the first time it had lost major cities since 1994. Nationally, 27 councils ended up with no majority party.

Then

Opposition coalitions took power in several metros, some of which collapsed within two years.

Now

Coalition politics became a routine feature of South African local government rather than an exception.

Why this matters now

The 2026 map has five times as many hung councils as 2016, so the bargaining that started then is now the normal way cities are governed.

November 2021

Municipal elections (2021)

The ANC fell to 45.6% of the national vote and lost its outright majorities in most metros, leaving 66 councils hung. The DA and smaller parties became necessary partners in city governments.

Then

Coalition talks dragged on in several cities; some councils cycled through mayors.

Now

The 2021 result confirmed a 15-year decline in ANC support, driven largely by complaints about water and electricity service.

Why this matters now

The 2026 result extends that decline: the ANC lost nearly 15 percentage points in five years and now controls 53 of 213 councils outright.

2006-2011

ANC's municipal peak (2006-2011)

The ANC won 64.9% of the municipal vote in 2006. In 2011 it still won outright majorities in seven of the eight metros, including 58.56% in Johannesburg and 61.07% in eThekwini.

Then

The party governed almost every major city without partners.

Now

Those margins eroded at every subsequent local election, with urban support falling fastest.

Why this matters now

The comparison shows how far the ANC's urban base has fallen: Johannesburg is now at 20.27% and eThekwini at 16.46%.

Sources

(15)
+9
Reuters (via Investing.com) IOL Mail & Guardian Al Jazeera Deutsche Welle African National Congress The National CNBC Africa BBC Sowetan Africanews TimesLIVE Al Jazeera IOL IOL