{"id":14878,"date":"2026-11-09T14:41:26","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T14:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14878"},"modified":"2026-11-09T14:41:26","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T14:41:26","slug":"what-catastrophic-south-africa-local-election-results-mean-for-anc-elections-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14878","title":{"rendered":"What \u2018catastrophic\u2019 South Africa local election results mean for ANC | Elections News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South Africa\u2019s African National Congress (ANC) has recorded its worst-ever result in local elections<\/a>, more than three decades after the party of Nelson Mandela led the country out of apartheid and into democratic rule.<\/p>\n

While the ANC remains the country\u2019s largest party, Wednesday\u2019s vote appeared to confirm it is locked in a downward spiral amid long-held anger over corruption scandals<\/a> and poor service delivery.<\/p>\n

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The elections were held to choose local government councillors who run South Africa\u2019s eight biggest cities as well as its 44 district and 205 local municipalities. ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula described the results of the vote as \u201ccatastrophic\u201d.<\/p>\n

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who also serves as the president of the ANC, said political parties should approach upcoming political negotiations to form coalitions for local rule with humility. \u201cOur people\u2019s interest must not be drowned by the \u2060quest of political parties or representatives to settle political scores or petty squabbles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

What are the results of the vote?<\/h2>\n

The ANC won 31 percent of the vote, versus about 25 percent for its main rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA).<\/p>\n

The DA has sought to shed its historical reputation as a \u201cwhite party\u201d, a label it rejects. The party said it had won the votes of more than one million Black South \u2060Africans for the first time, based on its modelling.<\/p>\n

The ANC lost its place as the largest party to the DA in the economic hub of Johannesburg, the capital Pretoria, and the large Ekurhuleni municipality east of Johannesburg. The DA also retained its control of South Africa\u2019s second-biggest city, Cape Town.<\/p>\n

While the ANC remained the largest party in terms of vote share, the results represent a sharp drop from the 46 percent it bagged in the 2021 local vote and less than half the vote share that the party had two decades ago: 66 percent in 2006.<\/p>\n

In 2024, it lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in a national election, which brought about a coalition national government and a seismic shift in South African politics with the end of the ANC\u2019s 30-year dominance.<\/p>\n

South Africa held its first democratic elections in 1994, when the ANC won 63 percent of the vote under Mandela\u2019s leadership. He was inaugurated as the first Black president of South Africa shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n

Sandile Mnguni, a lecturer in political science and international relations at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, said the \u201cdecline in electoral support should serve as a clear warning that the party can no longer rely on its historical political dominance or liberation credentials to retain the confidence of voters\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the underlying grievances of the electorate remain unaddressed, the party could face even greater electoral challenges,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

What does this vote mean for the ANC?<\/h2>\n

Since no party won more than 50 percent of the vote in many cities, the ANC and DA have to team up or hash it out with smaller parties to form municipal governments. Parties have 14 days to negotiate before city councils are formed.<\/p>\n

An ANC partnership with the DA would mirror an arrangement they have had in national government for the past two years, but the two are ideologically opposed on key issues \u2060such as how to address the deep economic and social inequalities left by apartheid.<\/p>\n

The DA will be mindful of striking a partnership with the ANC, which analysts say was harshly rebuked by voters in this election over problems with basic services such as irregular water, electricity outages, dilapidated roads, broken street lights, and uncollected refuse.<\/p>\n

Ramaphosa was also punished for being implicated in a corruption scandal known as \u201cFarmgate\u201d<\/a> after burglars broke into his luxury private ranch in 2020 and stole $580,000 hidden inside furniture. The president was accused of covering up the theft and keeping efforts to trace the burglars private in a bid to avoid an investigation into where the money had come from.<\/p>\n

South African author and political commentator Ralph Mathekga told Al Jazeera that the vote sent a \u201cstrong message\u201d to the ANC \u201cthat the collapse of service delivery and the ensuing corruption has reached a point where it cannot be tolerated\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mathekga said voters no longer see the party as the solution to the problems faced by South Africans, but as the \u201cchief culprit\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe elections were clearly a referendum on the ANC \u2018s capacity to govern and turn the corner,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

South African political analyst and columnist Sipho Seepe said the vote was also a personal rebuke of Ramaphosa, who sought to present himself as a politically savvy and business-oriented leader for the party, but who has continually been accused of underperforming.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has been a total disaster, and the people this time have made it very clear,\u201d Seepe told Al Jazeera. \u201cPeople have been giving it [the ANC] a chance, and 1794235286 they\u2019re saying no more.\u201d<\/p>\n

The DA suggested it would steer clear of an agreement with the ANC when it said in a statement that it would initiate coalition discussions with \u201cpolitical parties that share a commitment to clean and accountable government, rooting out corruption, service delivery for all, the rule of law, and non-racialism\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ramaphosa is expected to step aside as party leader ahead of the 2027 ANC leadership contest and the country\u2019s next general election in 2029.<\/p>\n

What does this vote mean for South Africa?<\/h2>\n

The local election has ramifications for South Africa\u2019s politics\u00a0beyond local government.<\/p>\n

Analysts say the vote confirms that the country is transitioning away from one-party dominance and towards political plurality. \u201cFrom now on, we can accept coalitions to be the new normal,\u201d Seepe said.<\/p>\n

While this might lead to some political instability, the analyst said it may pressure parties to prioritise performance once in power. \u201cThe ANC government has been stable, but it has been failing the people,\u201d he said, noting that being responsive to the electorate\u2019s needs is now seen as more urgent than political continuity.<\/p>\n

Mathekga, author of the book The ANC\u2019s Last Decade, said voters have made it clear that they \u201cdo not want concentration of power in one party\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoalitions are there to stay, perhaps until political parties demonstrate that they can be trusted with power to constitute government on their own,\u201d Mathekga said, describing the shift as a \u201cnecessary evolution of South African politics\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mnguni, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, agreed that South Africa appeared to be ready to trade a little less political stability in exchange for greater accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, there may be instances of political stalemating, unstable alliances and disagreements that delay important municipal decisions [and] these risks should not be underestimated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, I view the broader transition as an opportunity for South Africa\u2019s democratic development, provided that political parties demonstrate political maturity and place governance above narrow partisan interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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South Africa\u2019s African National Congress (ANC) has recorded its worst-ever result in local elections, more than three decades after the party of Nelson Mandela led the country out of apartheid and into democratic rule. While the ANC remains the country\u2019s largest party, Wednesday\u2019s vote appeared to confirm it is locked in a downward spiral amid…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t