South Africa’s African National Congress has suffered a significant electoral setback, securing just over 30% of the national vote in the country’s latest municipal elections. This represents a drop of approximately 14 percentage points from 2021. The Democratic Alliance improved its performance with voters, securing about 25%, while former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party received roughly 10%. The ANC’s declining support reflects growing public frustration over corruption, unemployment above 34%, and persistent failures in electricity and water services. The party failed to secure an outright majority in any of the country’s eight major metropolitan areas, including Johannesburg, where the DA secured more votes. This puts the DA’s Helen Zille in pole position to become the next Johannesburg mayor. Since no party won more than 50% of the vote, attention will now turn to negotiating coalition agreements to govern.