South Africa’s ANC remains largest party despite vote decline

What the report says

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) remained the country’s largest party in the 2026 local government elections, even as its support fell sharply, according to results released by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and reported by The Independent Uganda, citing Xinhua. The ANC, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, won 30.76 percent of votes counted nationwide, down more than 14 percentage points from the 2021 local polls.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) placed second with 24.64 percent, while the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, took 9.76 percent in its first local-election contest. The IEC said turnout reached 52 percent, higher than the 45.9 percent recorded in 2021. The results highlight the ANC’s continued decline after decades of dominance since the end of apartheid, following earlier losses in the 2024 national election, when it failed to keep its parliamentary majority.

The report said political strength is shifting across South Africa’s major cities and provinces. The ANC led in Buffalo City and Mangaung, while the DA was ahead in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay. The MK Party led in eThekwini, which includes Durban. In many municipalities, no party appeared to have an outright majority, making coalition talks likely.

Ramaphosa said the vote showed the resilience of South Africa’s democracy and urged parties to negotiate in good faith so councils can be formed without delay. The outcome is likely to influence local governance and the political field ahead of the 2029 national elections.