The key facts

  • ANC received less than 31% in local elections — the party's worst result in its history
  • The party announced a special meeting of the National Executive Committee and is preparing for coalition talks
  • The DA strengthened its position in major cities, while Zuma's MK party delivered a strong result in KwaZulu-Natal

ANC's worst result in history

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has suffered the worst electoral defeat in its history: in the significant local elections in South Africa, the party received less than 31% of the vote. The party's own leaders described the outcome as

Reasons for voter discontent

The result reflects growing voter frustration with unemployment, poor delivery of basic services, failures of local governance, and years of corruption, sometimes at the highest levels of government. Tasneem Essop, a researcher at the Society, Work and Politics Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, noted that the key issues were water, electricity, housing and municipal services, and that unemployment significantly affects how people vote. In her view, the failure did not happen overnight but reflects a long, gradual decline in trust in the party. DW correspondent Dianne Hawker-Kalubi, who worked at polling stations, also spoke of voters'

The party's reaction and the balance of power

The ANC has acknowledged the need for change: the party announced that the National Executive Committee would convene a special meeting to

'Vote fluidity' and a challenge for the ANC

Essop describes what is happening as growing