Update — 7 November 2026, 12:20 GMT: A live results tracker drawing from South Africa’s Electoral Commission data showed 23,423 of 23,696 voting districts counted — 98.85% — with the ANC on 30.91%, the Democratic Alliance on 24.60% and the MK Party on 9.61%. The figures remain provisional. Of 213 councils listed by the tracker, 195 had been declared and 126 were hung.
South Africa’s African National Congress is heading for its weakest local-election performance since the end of apartheid as counting nears completion.
ElectioMap’s live results page, which says it draws its figures from the Electoral Commission, reported the ANC on 30.91% at 11:25 GMT on Saturday, with 98.85% of voting districts counted. The DA stood at 24.60%, while the MK Party was third on 9.61%.
The Witness separately reported earlier on Saturday that the IEC dashboard had reached 98%, with the ANC at 30.95%, the DA at 24.56% and the MK Party at 9.62%.
Historic decline for the ANC
The latest figures put the ANC almost 15 percentage points below the 45.6% it secured in the 2021 municipal elections. If confirmed, this would be the party’s worst local-election result since South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994.
Reuters reported during the final stretch of counting that a Council for Scientific and Industrial Research projection put the ANC near 31% and the DA around 24.5%. The Associated Press also reported a sharp decline in ANC support and said the party was trailing rivals in several major cities.
The result extends a longer decline for the movement that has dominated South African politics for more than three decades. The ANC lost its national parliamentary majority in 2024 and now governs nationally in a coalition with the DA and smaller parties.
Coalition battles loom
No party appeared on course for an outright majority in many municipalities. ElectioMap’s compilation showed 126 hung councils among the 195 declared at the time of the update, making coalition negotiations and smaller parties decisive in many areas.
The DA was heading towards retaining its majority in Cape Town and had strengthened its position elsewhere. In eThekwini, centred on Durban, the MK Party was leading the ANC as counting continued.
The results will determine control of councils responsible for essential services including water, electricity distribution, roads and refuse collection. Coalition stability is therefore likely to become a central test once verification and seat allocation are completed.
Count remains provisional
The Electoral Commission has urged political parties and the public to allow counting, auditing and verification to conclude and to avoid circulating unverified results.
BaretaNews will update this report when the commission declares the final outcome and confirms the allocation of council seats.
