Overview
- The ANC won about 30.95% of the vote in Tuesday’s municipal elections and lost its majority in six of eight metropolitan regions, according to the Electoral Commission tallies.
- The Democratic Alliance rose to roughly 24–25% nationally, became the largest party in several major cities and kept an absolute majority in Cape Town.
- Coalition talks have begun in key metros with the DA positioned to lead city governments often without the ANC and Action SA reportedly demanding Helen Zille step aside as a condition for joining some DA-led pacts.
- ANC leaders held closed-door meetings after the results, and media reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned a possible resignation as party officials assess leadership and strategy.
- The shift reflects a longer decline for the ANC since its 2004 peak and its 2024 loss of a parliamentary majority, and it may change how cities are run while signaling broader risks for the party at the national level.