ANC Heads for Worst-Ever Local Election Result as Voters Protest Failing Water and Power Services

On Saturday, with 98% of the ballots from Wednesday's municipal elections counted, South Africa's Electoral Commission published figures that put the African National Congress at just over 30% of the vote. It is the lowest share the party has ever recorded, and it comes with a second blow: the ANC lost its majority in six of the country's eight metropolitan regions.

The party that took power in 1994, when South Africa became a democracy, was once led by Nelson Mandela and was instrumental in ending apartheid. The decline since then has been steady. Over the past decade it has done worse in one election after another. In the 2021 municipal elections it won 46%. In the 2024 national polls it took just over 40%, which cost it its outright parliamentary majority for the first time in the democratic era. It then formed a national unity government with all the parties represented in parliament, and that government is still in power.

The anger behind this week's result is local and practical. Voters in 2026 are frustrated by water and electricity shortages, and the ANC is being blamed for the poor state of municipalities. High unemployment, crime and widespread corruption weigh on the mood as well. Smaller parties have also emerged across the political landscape and are cutting into the ANC's base.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who leads the ANC, had not addressed the result as of Saturday evening. Earlier in the week, in his weekly presidential letter, he had acknowledged that municipal failures have contributed to declining public trust and confidence in democratic governance.

It fell to Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula to speak to reporters on Saturday. He called the outcome very catastrophic for the ANC, adding that even though it remains the largest party, it has been catastrophic for the movement. He said the party must work to win back public confidence, and that it cannot ask people to trust it merely because of its history.

Analyst Daniel Silke, speaking to the AFP news agency, called it the most severe result the ANC could have feared and its worst in history. He said it will weaken the party's ability to exert authority at both local and national level. The results may also serve as a bellwether of voter sentiment ahead of the 2029 general election.

The ANC will still be the single largest party by overall vote share, but that matters less in the cities, where governing now depends on alliances. The pro-business, center-right Democratic Alliance looks to be the runner-up with about 24%. It is set to keep Cape Town after winning an absolute majority there, and it also performed well in Pretoria, the capital, and Johannesburg, the economic hub. It is expected to form coalitions that exclude the ANC.

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis told reporters that the cut and thrust of the election is over and it is time to put together governments that can actually fix these towns and cities. He said his party had already reached out to many parties over the previous 24 hours and would keep doing so. The coming weeks of coalition negotiations will decide who runs the metros, and how they handle the water and power failures that drove the vote.