Final 2026 election results announced
The ANC has failed to achieve an outright majority in any of South Africa’s metros, despite it still being the largest party nationally.
South Africa’s ruling party has fallen to its worst-ever election result in South Africa’s 2026 municipal elections.
In contrast, the DA has secured a majority in Cape Town and is the largest party in several other metros, the Independent Electoral Commission revealed on Sunday.
Nationally, the ANC secured 30.76% of the votes, the DA 24.64%, MK 9.76%, the EFF 6.22%, ActionSA 5.67%, the IFP 4.69%, and the VF Plus 2.99%.
The ANC came out on top in Buffalo City and Mangaung, with the DA securing the most votes in the City of Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, the City of Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay, and the City of Tshwane.
The MK Party came out on top in eThekwini.
Now the attention shifts to coalitions, with calls from VF+ leader Corne Mulder for the DA and ActionSA to work together to govern Gauteng’s three metros.
This would be significant, with the region responsible for a third of South Africa’s economic output. It would also end ANC rule in the province’s metros.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula called the result “catastrophic” for the ANC but said the party would not go begging for positions when coalition talks begin soon.
“When the people tell us we have fallen short, the honest answer is not to argue with them but to go home and put our house in order,” Mbalula said on Saturday.
Parties will have 14 days to negotiate before city councils are formed.
The DA said it would initiate coalition discussions with “political parties that share a commitment to clean and accountable government, rooting out corruption, service delivery for all, the rule of law, and non-racialism”.
National Results
City of Johannesburg
City of Tshwane
City of Cape Town
eThekwini
Mangaung
Nelson Mandela Bay
Buffalo City
Ekurhuleni
Login or register for unlimited free access.
Conversation
1 commentsI just can’t understand how people with a functioning brain can still vote for a criminal organization like the ANC. All of you morons who supported the ANC, thank you for destroying what could have been a world power,and supporting crime and corruption instead. You people are idiots.