Where did the ANC’s supporters go? The parties and numbers behind the shift

Election ballot

Cape Town – The African National Congress (ANC) has suffered significant electoral losses across South Africa, with the Democratic Alliance (DA), uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and smaller opposition parties emerging as the beneficiaries of a changing political landscape following the November 4 local government elections.

An analysis published by News24 on Sunday examines where the ANC has lost support and which political parties have gained ground in different provinces.

The figures show that the ANC’s losses were particularly pronounced in KwaZulu-Natal, where Jacob Zuma’s MK Party made significant inroads, while the DA and ActionSA strengthened their positions in Gauteng.

According to election data analysed by The Outlier, the ANC’s support in KwaZulu-Natal declined by approximately 21.7 percentage points compared with 2021, while the MK Party recorded a 34.7 percentage-point increase.

In Gauteng, the ANC’s support fell by 14.5 percentage points, while the DA gained 5.4 points and ActionSA recorded a 7.5-point increase.

The DA also made substantial gains in the Free State, increasing its support by 8.9 percentage points, while the ANC suffered losses across all nine provinces.

The Mail & Guardian reported that an analysis of comparable voting stations showed the ANC had lost nearly 700,000 votes compared with the 2021 local government elections, despite an increase in voter participation.

The publication noted that the ANC received 4,496,869 ward votes at the comparable stations, down from 5,186,014 in 2021, representing a decline of approximately 13%.

Meanwhile, the DA gained more than one million votes at the same stations, while the MK Party secured substantial support in its first municipal election.

The Reuters report placed the ANC’s final national vote share at 30.76%, compared with 45.59% in 2021. The DA received 24.64%, while the MK Party secured 9.76%.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula described the election outcome as “catastrophic”, acknowledging the need for the party to rebuild public confidence.

“When the people tell us we have fallen short, … the honest answer is not to argue with them but to go home and put our house in order,” Mbalula said, according to Al Jazeera.

The results underline the growing fragmentation of South African politics, with the ANC no longer enjoying the electoral dominance it maintained for three decades following the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.

With seven of the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities heading towards coalition negotiations, the election has also increased the influence of smaller parties, whose support could prove decisive in determining who governs several major cities.

The outcome presents a significant challenge for the ANC as it faces growing pressure to address voter dissatisfaction over unemployment, corruption and deteriorating municipal service delivery.

Picture: X / @MYANC

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com

Compiled by Betha Madhomu

Article written by