South Africa Local Elections: ANC Vote Share Falls to 31 Percent
The ruling party lost its status as the largest voter bloc in three major metros, forcing coalition talks with rivals within 14 days.
By Zoe Harrison ·
South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) recorded its lowest vote share in a local election since 1994, falling to 31 percent. This result confirms a long-term decline in support for the party that led the country out of apartheid. Voters in the nation’s largest cities chose opposition or smaller parties over the ANC for municipal control.
The ANC’s 31 percent share marks a sharp drop from the 46 percent it received in the 2021 local vote. It is also less than half the 66 percent share the party secured in 2006. The Democratic Alliance (DA), the ANC’s main rival, won approximately 25 percent of the national vote. The DA stated it gained the support of more than one million Black South African voters for the first time, according to its own modeling.
The ANC lost its position as the largest party in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and the Ekurhuleni municipality. The DA retained control of Cape Town, the country’s second-largest city. Because no single party secured a majority in many municipalities, local governments must form coalitions. Parties have 14 days to negotiate these alliances before new city councils are established.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula described the results as catastrophic. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who also leads the ANC, urged parties to approach coalition talks with humility. He warned that political scores should not drown out the interests of the people. The vote comes two years after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 national election, ending its 30-year dominance of the national government.
Sandile Mnguni, a political science lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the decline signals that the ANC can no longer rely on its liberation history to retain voter confidence. He noted that unaddressed grievances could lead to further electoral challenges. Ralph Mathekga, a political commentator, said voters now view the party as the chief culprit behind service delivery failures, such as water shortages and power outages, rather than the solution.
The DA indicated it would seek partners committed to clean government and accountability. Sipho Seepe, a political analyst, called the vote a personal rebuke of President Ramaphosa, who faces scrutiny over the Farmgate corruption scandal. Ramaphosa is expected to step aside as party leader before the 2027 leadership contest and the 2029 general election.
Analysts view the election as a move toward political plurality. Seepe stated that coalitions will become the new normal in South African politics. Mnguni agreed that the transition may trade some stability for greater accountability. Mathekga described the shift as a necessary evolution, noting that voters do not want power concentrated in one party.
