Africaupdated 31m ago2 min read
ANC Leads South Africa Municipal Election Results With 21% Counted
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Early counts show ANC as the leading party in local elections. DA trails in second with roughly a quarter of counted votes.
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ANC faces municipal test
South Africa held municipal elections across 257 municipal councils on Wednesday, with the vote framed as a measure of the African National Congress's waning influence ahead of the 2029 general election. Election authorities said about 12 million voters had cast their ballots by 5:00 PM local time on Wednesday out of 29.2 million registered voters, while early voting on Monday and Tuesday involved about 1.4 million people out of 2.6 million licensed to participate. President Cyril Ramaphosa told voters after casting his ballot that "our democracy is alive," and he said the government was determined to rebuild local government structure to ensure promises became a reality.
Moses Mashaba, a 27-year-old street vendor in Johannesburg's Soweto, said, "things have been horrible," citing water and electricity gaps and a high unemployment rate. The election authority said polling stations began closing at 9:00 pm local time after a 14-hour day, with final results due by Sunday.
Queues, abstention, and coalitions
Ntando Sithole, 24, said he stayed away from the polls because "there won't be any changes" and because "most of these political parties are led by old people," while other voters described long queues and logistical hiccups. In Johannesburg's Alexandra township, Karabo Mogano said, "Nothing works here," and he described the election as important after he got his first opportunity to vote. In the east coast city of Gqeberha, nursing aide Phumla Zikhali, 55, told AFP, "My vote is for more change," and she said her life had improved since black people were allowed to vote.
The Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis told AFP, "We will talk to everyone but I don't like to get into coalition negotiations before the votes have been counted," as no party was expected to win outright majorities in several cities. Political analyst Kingsley Makhubela said voters would likely be influenced by "bread and butter issues" such as water, electricity, roads and sewage rather than political loyalties.
Early results and what’s at stake
Early results put the ANC on about 32% of the vote in KwaZulu-Natal, with the Nation’s Spear Party led by former President Jacob Zuma at the forefront of the competition in the province. Nationally, data published after counting about 35% of polling stations showed the ANC at 32.10%, the Democratic Alliance at 27.68%, and the Nation’s Spear Party at 6.65%, with the latter ranking third among parties in the partial results. In Johannesburg and Cape Town, the Democratic Alliance registered a strong presence, and the sources said major councils were likely to require coalition negotiations due to dispersed vote shares.
The election was described as a key measure of voters' sentiment ahead of the 2029 general election, with control of major cities and the need for coalition councils presented as the decisive test. The sources also tied the municipal outcome to external political significance for Rabat, where Zuma’s party announced its support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara and called for studying an autonomy initiative as a political solution.