South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) has recorded its weakest performance in municipal elections, winning 30.76% of the national vote and putting its hold on several major cities at risk.
This story is written and edited by Global South World
President Cyril Ramaphosa joined electoral officials in Midrand, near Johannesburg, on Sunday for the release of the final results. He welcomed the country’s multiparty political landscape, saying electoral competition reflected the strength of South Africa’s democracy.
“Greater choice and more competition are the signs of a healthy democracy,” Ramaphosa said, describing South Africa’s democracy as strong and enduring.
The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) finished second with 24.64% of the vote, while former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party secured 9.76%.
The ANC won outright control of just 53 municipalities, down from 122 in 2021, marking another significant setback for the party that has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994.
The results follow the ANC’s historic loss of its parliamentary majority in the 2024 national elections, which forced it into a coalition government with the DA and other parties.
With several municipalities left without clear majorities, parties now face difficult coalition negotiations to determine control of major cities.
In Johannesburg, where the DA emerged as the largest party, the ANC faces a particularly tough challenge to retain power.
This article was originally published by Global South World and is republished here with permission. View the original article.
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