ANC takes 30.8% in South Africa local elections
The electoral commission declared the 4 November vote free and fair, with turnout up to 52% and no party holding a majority in 127 of 213 councils.
South Africa's governing African National Congress won 30.76% of the vote in the country's local government elections, taking 3,246 of the 10,526 council seats contested, the Electoral Commission of South Africa said as it declared the 4 November polls free and fair.
Commission chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced the final results at the National Results Operation Centre in Midrand on Sunday night and said all 213 municipal councils had been finalised. The ANC is the largest party in 128 municipalities but holds an outright majority in only 53. In 127 councils no party won more than half the seats.
Turnout was 52%, the commission said, 6.1 percentage points higher than the 45.9% recorded in 2021. About 14.9 million of the 29.2 million registered voters cast ballots.
The Democratic Alliance took 24.64% and 1,695 seats, winning outright control of 12 municipalities and leading in 32. The uMkhonto weSizwe Party took 9.76% and 785 seats, with outright control of three councils and a leading position in 19. The Economic Freedom Fighters won 6.22% and 588 seats, and ActionSA 5.67% and 313 seats. Smaller parties and independent candidates shared 22.97%.
The Inkatha Freedom Party won outright control of five municipalities and is the largest party in 19. Rise Tsantsabane Communities won control of one. Spoilt votes made up 1.84% of the total.
Moepya said the elections were conducted in a largely peaceful environment and that the commission based its declaration on the Elections Satisfaction Survey 2026, carried out by the Human Sciences Research Council. The survey found 90% of respondents regarded the procedures as free and 91% as fair, 95% were satisfied with the commission's services, 91% queued for no longer than 30 minutes, and 81% trusted the commission, down from 93% in 2016. It flagged intimidation, impartiality, inclusive voting and information gaps as areas needing attention.
Moepya paid tribute to a commission staff member who died at a voting station in Mahikeng on election day. He said the commission would review the process and listen to voters, parties, candidates, observers and its own staff.
A total of 521 parties and 636 independent candidates contested the poll, fielding about 137,000 candidates for 4,485 ward seats, 4,340 proportional representation seats and 707 district council seats. A further 994 district council seats will be filled by councillors elected by local municipalities.
How the reports differ
Channel Africa framed the outcome around an observer mission's verdict that the elections were free and fair, while SABC News and the South African Government News Agency led on the commission's own declaration. The account carried by AllAfrica, credited to the government news agency SAnews.gov.za, alone set out the party vote shares, the 52% turnout and the comparison with 2021, and the survey findings the commission said its declaration rested on. None of the other three reports gave a turnout figure, a seat count or a party percentage.
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