Cape Town – The African National Congress (ANC) is facing another significant electoral setback after preliminary results from South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections showed a sharp decline in its national support, with opposition parties making gains across several provinces.
With approximately 70% of the votes counted on Friday, 6 November, the ANC was trailing behind its previous electoral performance, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party emerged as leading contenders in key provinces.
According to The Citizen, the DA is leading in the Western Cape and Gauteng, while former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party is ahead in KwaZulu-Natal.
The DA has also recovered to above 40% in Johannesburg, intensifying the contest for control of the country’s economic hub.
The latest figures point to a growing challenge for the ANC, which has governed South Africa since 1994 but has steadily lost electoral support amid public dissatisfaction over unemployment, corruption, crime and deteriorating municipal services.
Outright majority
A Reuters report on Friday put the ANC at 32% nationally, compared with 25% for its nearest rival, the DA, with 71% of the votes counted.
Reuters reported that if the figures hold, the ANC would lose approximately 14 percentage points compared with its 2021 municipal election performance, which was already its worst electoral showing since the end of apartheid.
The publication noted that the DA is on course to secure an outright majority in Cape Town, while Johannesburg and Tshwane appear headed for hung councils, potentially making coalition negotiations decisive.
“The outcome remains unclear in the early stages of the vote count in eThekwini,” Reuters reported, referring to the municipality centred on Durban, where the MK Party is seeking to secure control.
Meanwhile, voter participation appears to have improved compared with the previous municipal elections.
The Citizen reported that approximately 15.9 million South Africans cast their ballots out of 29.2 million registered voters, translating into an estimated turnout of 54.4%, against 45.86% recorded in 2021.
Accuracy, transparency and integrity
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has cautioned that the figures remain provisional as counting, auditing and verification continue.
According to SAnews, IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya confirmed on Thursday that more than 60% of the country’s 66,073 results slips had been captured by 5pm.
“The Commission further reports that about 40 202 result slips have been scanned, while 32 238 have undergone independent auditing as part of the verification and quality assurance processes,” Moepya said.
He added that the measures were intended to safeguard the accuracy, transparency and integrity of the results.
The IEC expects the results collation process to be concluded over the weekend, with political parties urged to rely on officially verified figures.
With the ANC’s dominance increasingly challenged and several major municipalities facing the prospect of hung councils, the outcome of the elections is expected to reshape local political alliances and determine how municipalities will be governed over the next five years.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
