Fikile Mbalula Makes Major Admission As ANC Faces Election Setback

The African National Congress (ANC) is facing one of its most difficult political moments after preliminary local government election results exposed a major shift in South Africa’s municipal political landscape.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has openly admitted that the outcome has been devastating for the governing party, describing the preliminary results as a “catastrophic outcome for the ANC”.

Mbalula made the remarks on Saturday while speaking on the sidelines of the preliminary election results announcement, as the country awaited confirmation of the final figures from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

The results have delivered a serious blow to the ANC’s political dominance, with the party losing control of six of South Africa’s eight metropolitan municipalities.

According to the preliminary results reported by eNCA, the ANC retained Buffalo City in the Eastern Cape and Mangaung in the Free State.

Meanwhile, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) retained eThekwini, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) secured majority support in Cape Town, Nelson Mandela Bay, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.

These developments represent a significant change in the country’s municipal political balance, particularly for a party that has governed South Africa since the dawn of democracy in 1994.

Mbalula acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, saying the party could not afford to become comfortable with its current position.

“In terms of what has happened to the ANC, we must never be comfortable about this particular space we are in,” he said.

He also revealed that the ANC had anticipated a difficult election battle.

“We knew that we had to put up a fight,” Mbalula stated.

One of the biggest concerns raised by the secretary-general was the apparent loss of support among middle-class voters, which he said the party would need to reflect on.

Interestingly, despite its losses in the metropolitan municipalities, the ANC still holds the majority of votes nationally, according to the preliminary figures.

The party is also not rushing into coalition negotiations. Mbalula indicated that the ANC is considering the possibility of becoming a principled opposition party in some municipalities rather than immediately entering political agreements.

He further indicated that the election outcome would be taken to the party’s national conference in 2027.

Chief Electoral Officer Mosotho Moepya said the IEC hoped to announce the final election results on Sunday.

Mbalula also indicated that the party’s National Executive Committee would meet before announcing its way forward.

Source: https://x.com/eNCA/status/2119075437166973176?a=kIu6693J3p6SFJCjiOA&s=19

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