The verdict came on Sunday evening in Midrand, at the Independent Electoral Commission’s results operations centre. Its chairperson, Mosotho Moepya, announced the final results of the November 4 municipal elections, confirming a historic decline for the party of Nelson Mandela. The ANC remains the country’s largest political force with 30.76% of the vote, but this is its worst result since the advent of democracy in 1994. Five years ago it still won 45.59% of the vote, a drop of almost 15 points.
Behind it, the Democratic Alliance edged up to 24.64%, from 21.66% in 2021. In its first local elections, the uMkhonto weSizwe party, founded in late 2023 by former president Jacob Zuma, took third place with 9.76%. Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters slipped to 6.22%, followed by ActionSA at 5.67%, the Inkatha Freedom Party at 4.69% and the Freedom Front Plus at 2.99%.
The shift is most dramatic in the big cities. The ANC came first in only two of the eight metros, Buffalo City and Mangaung. The Democratic Alliance led in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and Cape Town. Only Cape Town, however, gave it an outright majority, with 56.42% of the vote. In Johannesburg, the economic capital, the DA won 34.79% and 91 of the council’s 270 seats, well ahead of the ANC with 63. In Durban, in the eThekwini metro, MK won with 38.29%, leaving the ANC far behind in what was long one of its strongholds. ActionSA also confirmed its breakthrough in Gauteng, climbing to second place in Tshwane ahead of the governing party.
This fragmentation has left most councils without a clear winner. Of the country’s 213 municipalities, 127 now have hung councils, paving the way for often delicate coalition negotiations. Talks are already under way: ActionSA said it had held what it described as productive discussions with the ANC about a possible deal.
The Electoral Commission declared the vote free and fair despite several objections. It did, however, order a fresh vote in Douglas, in the Northern Cape.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who also leads the ANC, acknowledged the outcome. “The people have spoken,” he said at the results ceremony. He urged councillors to end power struggles and put residents’ interests ahead of personal ambition, particularly in municipalities with no majority. The head of state also acknowledged that unemployment, especially among young people, and the poor quality of municipal services in many communities explained voters’ growing demands. Water and power cuts and crumbling roads: anger over failing local services weighed heavily at the ballot box.
The vote extends a trend that began in the 2024 general election, when the ANC lost its outright parliamentary majority for the first time and had to form a government of national unity with the DA. For many analysts, these municipal elections confirm that South Africa has entered a lasting era of coalitions at every level of government. The coming weeks will show whether parties can build stable alliances capable of meeting citizens’ concrete expectations.