ANC loses majority as South Africa shifts to coalition politics

DA wins five of eight metropolitan areas

The Democratic Alliance placed first in five out of eight metropolitan areas, including the commercial capital Johannesburg and Tshwane, which contains the administrative capital Pretoria. The African National Congress failed to secure an outright majority in any major city and finished in second or third place in most of them.

As of November 6, the African National Congress held 32% of the vote while the Democratic Alliance held 24% as the municipal vote count neared its conclusion.

The coalition leadership will present complaints to the Perikatan Supreme Leadership Council for deliberation and action after the state election concludes. Ahmad Samsuri stated that the coalition leadership will base decisions on factual complaints rather than sentiment and requested that complainants provide concrete evidence such as audio, video, or written documents.

ANC admits to service delivery failures

The ANC issued a post-election statement acknowledging failures in service delivery. The party stated, "Communities have gone without water.

Political analyst William Gumede observed that the loss has become a subject of social media mockery. He said, "Once you get into that space, your authority is gone".

South African rand declines amid election uncertainty

The South African rand declined on November 6 due to a stronger dollar while the local election vote count was underway. Marketscreener.com published a report titled "South African Markets - Factors to watch on November 9" on November 9, 2026.

Coalition negotiations and leadership transition loom

The ANC experienced a major defeat in the municipal vote by November 8, which necessitated challenging coalition discussions. Negotiations to form municipal governments in areas where no party won a majority are scheduled to take place over the next two weeks.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to step down as ANC leader in December 2027, and the party currently has no clear successor.

Matshidiso Lencoasa of the Budget Justice Coalition warned about the path ahead for the country. Lencoasa said, "If they continue to make decisions in terms of coalitions that don’t foreground what’s in the best interests of our people, we’re just going to have another five years of messy coalitions, messy politics".