South Africa’s ANC Suffers Historic Election Defeat, Signaling Further Decline in Popularity
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa’s African National Congress party recorded its worst electoral performance in Sunday’s local government elections, suffering a sharp decline in support as voters condemned the party’s failure to deliver fundamental public services such as water and electricity to urban areas.
The ANC secured approximately 30% of the vote in Wednesday’s local government contests, with 99% of ballots already counted and results poised to be finalized late Sunday, per the Independent Electoral Commission.
Although the ANC stayed the largest party by total share in an election featuring hundreds of contenders, the Democratic Alliance, its chief opposition, captured around 25% of the vote during the final tally.
The outcome has brought within reach the once‑unthinkable reality that the ANC, which had steered South Africa from apartheid to democracy under Mandela and previously commanded roughly 70% of the vote, may no longer be the party with the largest share of support.
Anonymously, the ANC’s popularity has slid for over a decade. It achieved 45% support in the previous local elections in 2021—the first time the percentage fell below 50% in a single poll—and in 2024 it lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in a national election, prompting a coalition government and a fundamental transformation of South African politics.
Sunday’s campaign appeared to have set the ANC on a course for a drop of roughly 15 percentage points compared to the 2021 local elections, with an estimated one‑third of its support eroded over the past five years.
“If anyone has not heard what the electorate is saying in this election, then they are lost,” stated ANC Secretary‑General Fikile Mbalula, calling the result a “catastrophic failure for the party.”
He added that the results demanded the ANC be “humble, listen to our people and respect them,” and earn back the trust lent to the party through service rather than slogans.
DA leader Geordin Hill‑Lewis noted that his party, which trailed the ANC by roughly 20 points in the 2024 national poll, had now “taken a substantial step forward” toward becoming South Africa’s leading party.
Although the ANC’s popularity has plummeted, no single party has surged to surpass it, as the vote has dispersed across dozens of contenders on both local and national stages.
Seven major parties together accounted for about a third of the vote in these local contests, which saw more than 500 parties fielding candidates and numerous small parties claiming marginal support. The MK Party, led by ex‑president Jacob Zuma after splitting from the ANC, secured the third‑largest share at roughly 10%.
Citizens throughout South Africa have long voiced frustration over the party’s failure to provide reliable water and electricity, alongside crumbling roads, streetlights and uncollected refuse.
Local government shortcomings, compounded by entrenched corruption scandals linked to the ANC, were the principal drivers of this contest. The election was to elect local councilors governing South Africa’s eight largest cities, as well as 44 districts and 205 municipalities.
The ANC was headed for a loss of its top position to the DA in Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic powerhouse and capital, as well as in the expansive Ekurhuleni municipality east of the city. The DA clung to control of Cape Town, the second‑largest urban centre.
In Johannesburg, where service failures have drawn the sharpest scrutiny, the white‑leaned DA nominated former leader Helen Zille, aged 75, as its mayoral candidate.
Her bid featured provocative stunts, including a snorkeling excursion in a water‑filled trench across a city road, intended to underscore the municipal shortcomings.
Even in the largest metros, the ANC’s decline meant many locales would face hung councils, as no single party secured a clear majority.
Consequently, a series of intricate coalition accords will be needed to determine governance, with the ANC likely to join one of the governing alliances.
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