South African municipal count puts ANC ahead without many majorities

South Africa’s municipal elections were held on 4 November 2026. The count on 8 November 2026 put the African National Congress first and the Democratic Alliance second by nationwide vote share. At 4:09 pm South African time, 99.9% of voting districts had been counted. The African National Congress stood at 30.8% of the vote and the Democratic Alliance at 24.6%. Those numbers describe that stage of counting, before the formal national declaration.

At that point, results for 209 of 213 councils had been declared. In 135 of those councils, no party secured a majority of seats. The countrywide ranking of parties does not itself determine control of a council. Where no party has a majority, the distribution of seats in that municipality shapes the options for cooperation between parties. Counting returns, declaring a council result and forming a council administration are separate stages.

Facts to remember

• Voting took place on 4 November 2026; the count snapshot is from 8 November 2026.
• At 4:09 pm local time, 99.9% of voting districts were counted.
• The ANC stood at 30.8% and the Democratic Alliance at 24.6% in that snapshot.
• Of 209 declared councils, 135 had no party with a majority of seats.

Background

Chapter 7 of South Africa’s Constitution deals with local government. Section 151 places municipal executive and legislative authority in the municipal council. Section 157 provides for proportional representation or a combination of proportional and ward representation, as prescribed in national legislation. This structure distinguishes votes cast across the country from the seats allocated in each council.

Why it matters for exams

For CLAT comparative Polity, revise municipal representation and the distinction between an election result and the formation of a coalition.