The African National Congress (ANC) is currently confronting a substantial electoral defeat in South Africa’s local polls. With over 80% of the ballots now counted, the party of Nelson Mandela, which has governed the nation since the conclusion of apartheid in 1994, has seen its national support plummet to under 33 percent.
This fragmented electoral outcome reflects a worsening trend for the ruling party, which has been hampered by persistent issues including high unemployment, systemic corruption, failing infrastructure, and inadequate local service delivery. Nationally, the ANC stands at 31.8%, representing a sharp 14-percentage-point drop compared to its performance in the 2021 local elections.
Voter engagement in the Wednesday poll showed a marked increase, with the election commission reporting a 54.5% turnout, significantly higher than the 46% recorded five years ago. Despite this, the political landscape is shifting rapidly as major parties prepare for closed-door coalition negotiations ahead of the final results expected on Sunday. Up from 46% five years ago, the election commission estimated that 54.5% of registered voters cast their ballot. According to senior figures in key parties, They would talk with almost anyone, while keeping negotiating strategies under wraps. The former liberation movement is projected to lose its status as the biggest party in the two most populous provinces, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, as parties began coalition negotiations behind closed doors. Many of the ANC’s township strongholds have yet to report full results.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), a centre-right, white-led party, currently holds 24.1% of the national vote. Meanwhile, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, spearheaded by former ANC president Jacob Zuma, has secured 9.3%. Projections from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research suggest the DA could eventually finish at 34%, with the ANC at 20% and the right-wing ActionSA at 16.8%.
In Johannesburg, the nation’s largest commercial hub, the DA leads with 40% of the vote. The city, which faces a massive 220 billion rand infrastructure maintenance backlog, has seen frequent leadership instability with ten different mayors over the last decade. ActionSA, led by Herman Mashaba, currently sits at 15.5% in the city, though Mashaba has publicly ruled out cooperation with the DA’s Helen Zille. In Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial capital and biggest city, with 4.8 million people, voters have had to contend with regular water and power cuts, uncollected rubbish and potholes. Which has seen 10 changes of mayor in the last decade amid unstable coalitions, has admitted to a 220bn rand (£9.9bn) infrastructure spending backlog, the municipality. The DA was leading with 40%, having run an energetic campaign under Helen Zille, a 75-year-old former Cape Town mayor, with just over half of votes counted in Johannesburg. The ANC, which leads the current coalition, was in second place on 17.5%.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the 84-year-old Jacob Zuma’s MK party is poised to displace the ANC as the dominant political force. The party, established in 2023, promotes a mix of socially conservative Zulu nationalism and land redistribution. While the MK reached 41% in eThekwini, encompassing Durban, opponents may attempt to form a coalition to prevent it from holding power. It mixes socially conservative Zulu nationalism with pledges to redistribute land and wealth from white to black South Africans, founded in 2023.
Across the country, the final configuration of local governments remains in flux. Once the remaining votes are processed, councillors will have a two-week window to finalize municipal administrations. In the Western Cape, the DA is expected to retain its majority in Cape Town, even as residents voice frustration regarding escalating housing costs. The final shape of coalitions in some of the country’s biggest cities remained unclear with the final votes still being counted.
