The African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa, in government since the end of apartheid, suffered a severe blow in the municipal elections, according to the results released this Sunday, November 8. Although the ANC won the local elections last Wednesday, with 30.76 of the votes, it reported the worst result in its history. President Cyril Ramaphosa said: "The people have spoken and their verdict must be respected."
First modification: 11/08/2026 - 21:30
The historic African National Congress (ANC), the first party in South Africa's coalition government, won last Wednesday's local elections with 30.76% of the votes (3,246 seats among various municipal seats, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) reported this Sunday. But it is the worst result in its history.
The ANC ultimately obtained 30.76% of the vote compared to 24.64% for its main rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Former president Jacob Zuma's party, uMkhonto weSizwe, won 9.76% of the vote, putting it in third place, while the rest was spread among hundreds of smaller parties.
The result represents a new and painful setback for the ANC, which has seen its share of votes decline in local elections over the past 15 years, mainly due to deficiencies in basic services such as water and electricity. The former liberation movement obtained 45.59% of the votes in the last municipal elections in 2021.
With no party winning more than 50% of the vote in many cities, including Johannesburg, South Africa's commercial hub, the ANC and DA will have to ally or negotiate with smaller parties to form majority municipal governments.
The number of municipalities where coalitions will be needed has more than doubled since 2021, reflecting a fragmentation of the South African electorate.
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"The people have spoken"
In a brief statement after the results were announced, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was proud of the multiparty nature of South African democracy.
"We celebrate the enduring strength of our democracy and the sovereign right of the people of South Africa to elect their representatives," he said.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula called the result "catastrophic" for Nelson Mandela's once-dominant party, but said the party would not be begging for positions when coalition talks begin soon.
"When people tell us we haven't lived up to the mark... the honest response is not to argue with them, but to go home and put our house in order," Mbalula said on Saturday.
The parties have 14 days to negotiate before the town councils are formed.
Ramaphosa said political parties should approach negotiations with humility.
"The interests of our people must not be overshadowed by the quest of political parties or representatives to settle political scores or petty disputes," he stated.
In Johannesburg, the pro-business DA party won about 35% of the vote, compared to 20% for the ANC.
That could give Helen Zille, a DA veteran who based her campaign on fixing potholes and leaking water pipes, a good shot at becoming mayor, depending on coalition deals reached.
Analysts have pointed out that the best option to achieve stability in cities like Johannesburg would be for the ANC to ally itself with the DA, replicating the agreement they have maintained in the national government for the last two years.
But both have opposing ideological positions on key issues such as racial reparation.
ActionSA, which came third in Johannesburg with 16% of the vote, will not support the DA with Zille as its mayoral candidate, party leader Herman Mashaba told Reuters on Sunday.
With Reuters and EFE
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