South Africa local elections: ANC slides to about 31%, MK party wins first council

South Africa's African National Congress (ANC), the party of Nelson Mandela that has led South Africa's national government since 1994, is on course for a sharply reduced share in local elections, with provisional counts from the municipal vote of Wednesday, 4 November 2026 putting it at about 31% to 32% of the ballot. Results trackers based on Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) data showed the ANC at about 31.7% of the ward ballot with most voting districts counted, ahead of the Democratic Alliance (DA) at about 24%, and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party of former president Jacob Zuma at about 9% in its first municipal election. A business news report described the ANC's vote share as sharply reduced, and its hold on big cities such as Johannesburg as weakened. The IEC is expected to declare the official results on Sunday, 8 November.

Local councils in South Africa run water, electricity distribution, rubbish collection and roads, the services that voters have complained about most in recent years. A vote share of about a third for the ANC means the party that dominated South African politics for three decades will now have to share power in many more towns and cities. Coalition deals, rather than outright majorities, will decide who runs a large number of councils.

The results also show how the political map is splitting. The DA, which already runs Cape Town, is gaining ground in other urban areas. The MK party, formed by Jacob Zuma before the 2024 national election, has taken a large share of the ANC's former vote in KwaZulu-Natal, where one results table showed the ANC's share falling by more than 21 points. ActionSA's showing in Gauteng adds a further player to coalition talks in the economic heartland.

For India, South Africa is a partner in BRICS and the G20 and home to a large community of Indian origin, much of it in KwaZulu-Natal. Political change in its cities affects the business climate for Indian companies there and the daily life of that community, as municipal services and local governance shift into new coalition hands.

Peepals calculation: In one tracker's ward-ballot count, the ANC at 31.7% and the DA at 24.1% together hold 55.8% of the vote (31.7 + 24.1), leaving 44.2% spread across the MK party, the EFF, ActionSA and smaller parties. The ANC's lead over the DA in that count is 7.6 percentage points (31.7 − 24.1). Our calculation from the reported provisional figures.

Short-term: Parties now start coalition talks in the councils where nobody has a majority, including several of the biggest metros. Official IEC results on 8 November will settle the exact seat counts.

Long-term: If the ANC's local losses hold, the 2029 national election could produce an even more fragmented parliament. Coalition deals at city level can take time, which raises questions about service delivery while they are negotiated.

Who is affected: South African voters and ratepayers who depend on municipal services; the ANC, DA, MK party, EFF and ActionSA; investors and businesses, including Indian companies, operating in South African cities; and the Indian-origin community in KwaZulu-Natal.

What to watch next: The IEC's declaration of official results on Sunday, 8 November 2026, and coalition talks for hung councils, including the big metros.

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