South Africa: ANC Suffers Setback in Municipal Elections
The Facts
- South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) took 30.76% of the vote in last week's municipal elections, its weakest result on record, final figures released Sunday showed. The Democratic Alliance (DA) won 24.64% and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party 9.76%.
- ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula called the result "a very catastrophic outcome" on Saturday, citing the high cost of living and the loss of middle-class support. The party's vote share fell to around 31%, down nearly 15 percentage points from 2021, marking its worst electoral performance ever.
- The DA led in five of the eight metropolitan municipalities, the ANC in Buffalo City and Mangaung and the MK Party in eThekwini. Cape Town was the only metro with an outright majority, secured by the DA. Nationwide turnout reached 52%, up from 45.9% in 2021.
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The Spin
Pro-government narrative
Winning the most votes, councils and seats against hundreds of competing parties is a mandate, not the collapse critics are desperate to portray. Higher turnout and a free, fair election demonstrate South Africa's democratic strength. The ANC remains the country's leading political force, but voters' message is clear: delivering reliable water, electricity and essential municipal services must now take priority over political power struggles.
Government-critical narrative
Three decades of broken taps, dark streets, crumbling roads, potholes and looted public treasuries earned this hammering, and liberation-era nostalgia can no longer excuse such a dismal record. Voters finally stopped rewarding history and started grading actual performance, which is how democratic accountability works. Clinging to the title of largest party while steadily bleeding support election after election is a warning, not a win.