ANC Leads with Just 31.52% as 90% of Votes Counted in Local Elections

With 90% of the votes counted in South Africa’s 2026 local government elections, the African National Congress is still in front nationally — but only just. The party sits at 31.52%, while the Democratic Alliance follows closely on 24.21%. The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) is third with 9.51%.

These early national figures, released as counting continues, show a big shift from previous elections. In the 2021 local elections the ANC took 45.6% of the vote. The drop is clear and significant. The DA has improved on its 2021 result of around 21.7%. The Economic Freedom Fighters are on 6.23%, down from more than 10% five years ago. The Inkatha Freedom Party has 5.01%, the Patriotic Alliance 1.98%, and the South African Communist Party 2.45%.

Because these are local elections, the national numbers do not decide who runs each municipality. Councils are decided area by area. Many places are likely to end up with no single party holding a majority. That means coalition talks will decide who becomes mayor in cities and towns across the country.

The picture looks different from one province to another. In KwaZulu-Natal the MKP is performing strongly and leading in the eThekwini metro, which includes Durban. In Gauteng the DA is ahead in several major cities, including Johannesburg and Tshwane. The ANC is holding on better in provinces such as Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga, but even there its support is lower than before.

Smaller parties are also picking up support. This fragmentation means that bargaining between parties will shape local government for the next five years. Residents in many areas will watch closely to see which coalitions form and whether they can deliver basic services.

The Electoral Commission says counting is still underway and the final results are expected over the weekend. All figures remain provisional until the official declaration. For now, the 90% count paints a picture of a more divided political landscape than South Africans have seen in past local elections.

Source: https://x.com/MDNnewss/status/2118749613020549516?a=i5KTNZVaxkw4X3FPwI8&s=19