The African National Congress suffered its worst defeat yet in the latest ANC municipal elections South Africa results, pulling in just 30.76 percent of the total vote and weakening its stance ahead of mandatory coalition negotiations.
The Democratic Alliance secured 24.64 percent, while former President Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe captured 9.76 percent for third place. The remaining votes were scattered across dozens of smaller parties.
The steep drop marks a dramatic collapse from 2021 when the ANC earned 45.59 percent, driven down by widespread public anger over failing municipal water networks, constant power cuts, and crumbling local roads.
Coalition Deadlocks Loom in Major Hubs
With no single party reaching the 50 percent threshold required to govern major cities like Johannesburg outright, the ANC and DA must now build multi-party alliances or negotiate directly with each other within a strict 14-day statutory window before municipal councils convene.
In Johannesburg, the DA led with 35 percent of the vote compared to the ANC's 20 percent, placing DA veteran Helen Zille in a strong position to pursue the mayoral seat.
However, ActionSA, which finished third in the city with 16 percent, has already ruled out supporting any coalition that puts Zille in office.
The number of hung municipalities requiring coalition governments more than doubled compared to 2021, underscoring deep political fragmentation across the country.
Party Leaders Reaction
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula openly acknowledged the scale of the defeat, calling the outcome "catastrophic" for the ruling party, though he insisted the ANC would not compromise its dignity during coalition talks.
"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 admitted on Saturday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa struck a broader democratic tone, urging political parties to avoid gridlock and focus on service delivery rather than power struggles.
"Our people's interest must not be drowned by the quest of political parties or representatives to settle political scores or petty squabbles," Ramaphosa said.
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