South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has recorded its worst-ever showing in a local government election, taking 30.76% of the national vote in polls held on 4 November 2026, according to the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The final result was declared on the evening of Sunday 8 November at the National Results Operation Centre in Midrand.
The BBC reported that the ANC's share was down by roughly one third from the 46% it won in 2021 and far below the 64.82% it secured two decades ago. Al Jazeera characterised the outcome as the ANC's worst-ever local elections result, putting its support at about 30%. The ANC had already lost its national majority in 2024 for the first time since the end of apartheid, entering a government of national unity.
Full results and voter turnout
Citing the IEC, the government news service SAnews reported that the Democratic Alliance (DA) finished second with 24.64% and 1,695 council seats, followed by the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party of former president Jacob Zuma on 9.76%, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on 6.22%, and ActionSA on 5.67%. The ANC won 3,246 council seats, the most of any party.
Turnout reached 52.29%, up from 45.9% in the Covid-affected 2021 election, the BBC said, while the IEC put the figure at 52% with about 14.9 million of 29.2 million registered voters casting ballots. A total of 521 political parties and 636 independent candidates contested roughly 10,500 council seats, the IEC added.
The municipalities at stake
Municipal outcomes were highly fragmented. The IEC said the ANC won outright control of just 53 of the country's 213 municipalities and was the leading party in 128, while the DA took outright control of 12 and led in 32. The Inkatha Freedom Party secured outright control of five municipalities and the MK Party three, the Mail & Guardian reported.
The BBC reported that the ANC won a majority in only one of the country's nine provinces, Limpopo, down from six in 2021, and that it won the most votes in just two of eight metropolitan areas. The MK Party displaced the ANC as the largest party in Durban, while the DA retained control of Cape Town. Attention now turns to Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria, where coalition bargaining could leave the ANC outside power, the BBC added.
Reactions and coalition outlook
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula called the outcome "a very catastrophic outcome," telling reporters the party had anticipated losses amid high living costs, the BBC reported. President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ANC accepted "the will of the people however concerning it might be, we accept it with humility." Political analyst Daniel Silke told Agence France-Presse the result was "the ANC's worst result in history," DW reported.
With no party holding an outright majority in many councils, coalition negotiations are expected to shape local governance in the months ahead. The ANC is also due to elect a new leader next year as Ramaphosa's term ends, ahead of national elections in 2029, the BBC noted.
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