In brief
After the 2026 local elections, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged political parties in South Africa to focus on service delivery instead of power struggles, stressing that authority comes from the people. The African National Congress remains the largest party, securing 30.76% of the vote and 3,282 council seats, while the Democratic Alliance follows at 24.64%. With 138 of 213 municipal councils hung, coalition negotiations are inevitable.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged political parties to prioritize service delivery over power as coalition talks begin after the 2026 local elections, according to Xinhua.
Speaking at the Independent Electoral Commission’s Results Operations Center in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, Ramaphosa said that the scramble for positions should not compromise municipal stability or delay essential services for citizens.
The election results, released by the IEC, show the African National Congress (ANC) as the largest party with 30.76% of the vote and 3,282 council seats. The Democratic Alliance (DA) finished second with 24.64% and 1,722 seats, followed by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) with 9.77% and 799 seats, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 6.22% and 592 seats, and ActionSA with 5.67% and 320 seats.
Other parties and independents captured 22.94% of the vote and secured representation in 138 of the 213 municipal councils that were finalized. A total of 10,526 council seats were contested, with 14.9 million voters turning out for a 52% turnout, up 6.1 percentage points from 2021.
Out of the 213 councils, 74 were won outright by a single party. The remaining 138 councils were hung, meaning no single party held an absolute majority, making coalition negotiations inevitable. In Johannesburg, the DA emerged as the largest party with 91 of the 270 seats, while the ANC had 63 seats and ActionSA had 43 seats.
The president invoked the Freedom Charter’s principle that "the people shall govern", adding,
"The authority to govern comes from the people. It is not inherited. It is not owned by any individual or party."
Ramaphosa emphasized that the elections affirmed South Africa’s democratic institutions and the constitutional principle that political authority belongs to the people, calling for unity to ensure stable municipal governance and continuous delivery of essential services.
