Limpopo – Floyd Shivambu’s newly established Afrika Mayibuye Movement has made an impressive debut in South Africa’s 2026 local government elections, securing 12 seats in the Greater Giyani Local Municipality and relegating the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to third place.
According to News24, the party emerged as the second-largest political force in Greater Giyani, marking a significant breakthrough in Shivambu’s first electoral contest since establishing the movement.
The latest Electoral Commission results show the African National Congress (ANC) retaining control of the 62-seat council with 39 seats, while Afrika Mayibuye secured 12. The EFF managed just four seats.
The breakthrough follows earlier indications of growing support for the movement in Limpopo. According to SABC News, with 58% of voting districts counted, Afrika Mayibuye had already emerged as the second-largest party in both Greater Giyani and Collins Chabane, securing 18% and 14% of the vote respectively.
LGE 2026 | Afrika Mayibuye Movement leader Floyd Shivambu says the party will now have a say in determining how the City of Johannesburg’s next government is constituted. https://t.co/7dK8hECCeq
— SABC News (@SABCNews) November 8, 2026
The party’s performance is particularly notable given Shivambu’s political history. He co-founded the EFF in 2013 and served in senior leadership positions for more than a decade before resigning in 2024. He briefly joined the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party before launching Afrika Mayibuye late last year.
The movement’s electoral performance has extended beyond Limpopo. In a statement reported by SABC News, Shivambu confirmed that the party had secured 57 seats across 34 municipal councils in seven provinces.
“We are, as Mayibuye, satisfied with what we have achieved thus far. Now the confirmed number of seats that we have received is 57 in 34 municipality councils across the seven provinces of SA,” he said.
He added that the party would have a voice in determining the composition of municipal governments in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Polokwane and Emfuleni.
The results come amid a broader shift in South African local government politics, with several municipalities facing coalition negotiations following the elections. As Reuters reported, the elections have further entrenched political fragmentation, increasing the potential influence of smaller parties in municipal governance.
For Afrika Mayibuye, the results offer an early indication of its electoral strength and provide Shivambu with a platform to expand his political influence beyond his former party.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
