ANC records worst-ever election result with under 31% in South Africa municipal polls

South Africa's African National Congress received less than 31% of the vote in Wednesday's municipal elections, its worst-ever performance, the country's Electoral Commission announced after 98% of ballots were counted.

The ANC also lost its majority in six of the eight metropolitan regions, the commission said. ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula told reporters the result had been "very catastrophic" for the movement. "We cannot ask the people to trust us merely because of our history," he said. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who leads the ANC, had not yet addressed the result publicly as of Saturday evening, though during the week he acknowledged in his weekly presidential letter that "municipal failures have contributed to declining public trust and confidence in democratic governance."

Political analyst Daniel Silke told AFP the outcome was "the most severe result that the ANC would have feared" and said it would undermine the party's ability to exert authority at both local and national level. He added the results could serve as a bellwether ahead of the 2029 general elections.

The pro-business, centre-right Democratic Alliance came second with 24% of the vote. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said his party had already reached out to multiple parties over the previous 24 hours to begin coalition discussions, and was expected to form alliances that exclude the ANC. The DA secured an absolute majority in Cape Town and performed strongly in Pretoria and Johannesburg.

The ANC had governed with an absolute majority for most of its post-apartheid history. At the 2024 national elections it secured just over 40% of the vote and at the 2021 municipal elections it took 46%. Voter anger over water and electricity shortages, high unemployment, crime and widespread corruption drove the decline, the wire reported.