South Africa: November 2026 local elections

An earlier tally cited by Associated Press put the ANC near 31% with 76% counted. These snapshots come from different stages of counting; they are neither a final declaration nor the final allocation of municipal seats.

The party won just over 45% nationally in the 2021 local elections. The immediate question concerns coalitions governing major cities, including Johannesburg and eThekwini, where outcomes remained unsettled in the reports reviewed.

Councils manage services including water, road maintenance and rubbish collection. The ANC acknowledges losing support, AP reports. The composition of local executives will depend on the complete results and subsequent agreements between parties.

In Reuters’ early-morning snapshot, about 12% of votes had been counted: the ANC had roughly 32%, against around 30% for the Democratic Alliance. These percentages describe a specific stage of counting, not the final distribution.

Daily Maverick reports difficulties for the ANC in urban and rural municipalities. National chairperson Gwede Mantashe nevertheless says conclusions are premature, with several areas still outstanding. The formation of councils will depend on complete results and, where needed, agreements between parties.

The election covers eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district councils and 205 local councils. In Johannesburg, failures in municipal services have focused criticism on incumbent leaders.

The vote is another test for the African National Congress as its support has declined. Cyril Ramaphosa voted in Johannesburg. Observations from election day do not establish a winner: the sources consulted provide no final results.

SAnews reports the figure announced by Commission Chairperson Mosotho Moepya. It counts people who voted, distinct from the roughly 2.6 million approved special-vote applications.

Voting took place at stations and through home visits. Channel Africa also describes the completion of this advance phase.

Ballots are stored for counting with those from the main election after stations close. This participation count is therefore no election result or indication of a party’s victory.

The IEC approved more than 2.6 million applications. This is the number authorised to vote early, rather than a count of ballots already cast.

In Durban, EWN describes more than fifty older people voting at a TAFTA centre. Special ballots are to be stored and counted with other votes after general polling closes, under arrangements reported by Scrolla.

Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo spoke at the national results centre in Midrand, SABC reports. He urged people approved for home visits to remain at the address supplied in their application.

The total refers to approved special-voting applications, not turnout already recorded. Voting and its results were still ahead when the announcement was made.