Politics · 2026-11-04 · Morning briefing

ANC support plummets in South Africa's local elections

South Africans voted in local elections on Wednesday, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) facing a severe backlash over failing public services. Polls project the party will receive less than a third of the national vote, a steep decline from its 45.6% share in the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national vote.

The expected vote fragmentation is likely to deepen the instability already plaguing many of the country's 257 municipalities. Johannesburg, a city of 4.8 million people, has had ten mayors in as many years, while the mayoralty in Tshwane, which includes the capital Pretoria, has rotated four times since 2020. The opposition Democratic Alliance is polling ahead in these key metros but without a projected majority.

In the eThekwini metro, which contains Durban, the new uMkhonto we Sizwe party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, is polling above 40%. This directly cannibalises support from his former party, the ANC, which is now polling at just 10% in a region it won with 42% in 2021. The electoral commission has one week to announce results, after which parties begin a two-week scramble to form councils.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

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• South Africans vote in local elections that could continue the decline of the once-mighty ANC
• Poll: ANC support plummets as DA closes gap
• South Africans to vote in key local elections seen as a tough test for ruling ANC

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