LGE 2026| DA leads five metros, MK Party takes eThekwini, ANC loses ground

The ANC failed to finish first in six of South Africa’s eight metropolitan municipalities in Wednesday’s local government elections, with the DA leading in five metros and the MK Party emerging as the largest party in eThekwini.

The results announced by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Sunday evening showed that only Cape Town received an outright DA majority, leaving seven of the country’s eight metros facing coalition negotiations to establish new municipal governments.

The ANC finished ahead only in Buffalo City, where it secured 42.02% of the vote, and Mangaung, where it received 33.91%. Neither result was sufficient to give the party an outright majority.

The metropolitan results come as the ANC recorded its lowest national local government election support since democracy, falling from 45.59% in 2021 to 30.76% in 2026, a decline of 14.83 percentage points.

READ| ANC slumps to historic low of 30.76% as MK Party surges, hung councils soar

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced the results at the Results Operations Centre in Midrand, Gauteng, confirming the emergence of a more fragmented political landscape.

The DA increased its national support from 21.66% in 2021 to 24.64%, while the MK Party, contesting its first local government elections since its formation in December 2023, secured 9.77%.

The EFF received 6.22%, followed by ActionSA with 5.67%.

“Other political parties and independent candidates collectively received 22.97% of the vote and secured representation across municipal councils,” Moepya said.

The DA finished ahead in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and Cape Town, although it secured an outright majority only in Cape Town, where it received 56.42% of the vote.

In Johannesburg, the DA secured 34.79%, followed by the ANC with 20.25% and ActionSA with 16.27%.

The party also finished first in Tshwane with 34.37%, ahead of ActionSA on 22.07% and the ANC on 20.22%.

In Ekurhuleni, the DA received 30.68%, followed by the ANC with 22.11% and ActionSA with approximately 18.5%.

The results place ActionSA in a potentially influential position in coalition negotiations across Gauteng’s three metros, although no party can claim control of a municipality simply by finishing first in the vote.

In Nelson Mandela Bay, the DA secured 44.17%, ahead of the ANC with 25.48%, placing it closer to an outright majority than in the other hung metros where it finished first.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the MK Party emerged as the largest party in eThekwini, securing approximately 38.3% of the vote in its first municipal election.

The DA finished second with about 25.5%, followed by the ANC with 16.4% and the IFP with 6.8%.

The result represents a significant change in the political balance of the municipality, where the ANC had previously been the largest party.

However, the MK Party fell short of the majority needed to govern independently, meaning it will have to negotiate support from other parties to secure control of the council.

READ| Hlabisa stakes claim to mayoral posts where IFP leads the vote

The outcome leaves several possible governing arrangements, with the MK Party, DA, ANC and smaller parties facing negotiations over the municipality’s leadership.

Finishing first does not automatically entitle a party to the mayoralty, which will be determined by a vote of the newly elected council.

The ANC retained its position as the largest party in Buffalo City and Mangaung but failed to secure an outright majority in either municipality.

In Buffalo City, the ANC received 42.02% of the vote, followed by the UDM with 18.27% and the DA with 16.90%, according to the completed municipal count.

The result marks a substantial decline for the ANC, which secured 59.43% in Buffalo City in 2021.

Its support fell by 17.41 percentage points, while the UDM increased its share from 0.96% to 18.27%, a gain of 17.31 percentage points.

The ANC won 42 of Buffalo City’s 100 council seats, leaving it nine seats short of the 51 required for an outright majority.

The UDM secured 19 seats and the DA 17, creating several possible combinations for a governing majority.

The ANC also faced a close contest in Mangaung, where it secured 33.91% against the DA’s 33.49%, a margin of just 0.42 percentage points.

The EFF finished third with 8.59%, followed by the Freedom Front Plus with 5.92% and the Patriotic Alliance with 4.34%.

The narrow margin between the ANC and DA means the composition of Mangaung’s next administration will depend on negotiations rather than the ANC’s first-place finish.

The metropolitan results leave the DA, ANC and MK Party facing negotiations in seven of South Africa’s eight metros, with parties needing to secure majority support to elect mayors and establish municipal administrations.

In Johannesburg, the DA secured 91 of the council’s 270 seats, while the ANC won 63 and ActionSA 43.

A party or coalition requires at least 136 seats to command an outright majority in the council.

Although the DA emerged as the largest party, its ability to form a government will depend on agreements with other political parties.

The Johannesburg negotiations are already facing difficulties, with ActionSA seeking to prevent DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille from taking office.

According to the Sunday Times, ActionSA wants the DA to withdraw Zille as its mayoral candidate and support party leader Herman Mashaba for the position instead.

The disagreement could complicate efforts to establish a governing coalition in South Africa’s largest city.

DA federal leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said during a media briefing at the Results Operations Centre on Friday that the party would approach coalition negotiations on a case-by-case basis, guided by the circumstances and needs of individual municipalities.

He said different coalition models remained under consideration and that it would be premature to commit to a single approach.

The DA has said that improving basic service delivery and establishing stable municipal governments will be central to its negotiations.

Despite leading in five metros, the party will need support from other political parties to secure governing majorities in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay.

The ANC will also require coalition partners or other agreements to govern Buffalo City and Mangaung, while the MK Party faces negotiations in eThekwini.

The results represent a further shift away from single-party dominance in South Africa’s major urban centres. Political parties must negotiate leadership arrangements ahead of the first meetings of the newly elected councils, which must take place within 14 days after the councils are declared elected.

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