ANC support slid to 30.76% as ActionSA, the DA and MKP led voters to the right.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has declared the 2026 local government elections free and fair, with 14.9-million people having cast their ballots in an election that has left most municipal councils facing the prospect of coalition government.
The African National Congress (ANC) retained its position as the largest party nationally, securing 30.76% of the vote and 3,246 council seats. However, the result represents a significant decline in its electoral support and leaves the party needing to negotiate with other political formations in municipalities where it failed to secure an outright majority.
Announcing the results at the IEC results operations centre at Gallagher Estate on Sunday, IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said the elections had largely been conducted in a peaceful environment.
A total of 29.2-million voters were registered, with approximately 14.9-million participating. The national turnout was 52%, an increase of 6.1 percentage points from the 45.9% recorded in the 2021 local government elections.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) came second with 24.64% and 1,695 council seats, followed by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) with 9.76% and 785 seats. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) received 6.22% and 588 seats, while ActionSA secured 5.67% and 313 seats.
Moepya said the commission’s declaration was informed partly by findings from the 2026 Elections Satisfaction Survey conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council. The survey found that 90% of respondents regarded the elections as having integrity, 91% considered them free and fair, and 95% were satisfied with the services provided by the IEC.
However, the commission acknowledged that the electoral process had not been without challenges.
In Douglas, Northern Cape, ballot papers were destroyed before counting could take place when political party supporters allegedly stormed the voting station at a community hall. The IEC ordered a revote in Ward 3 of the Siyancuma Local Municipality, saying the affected votes could not be counted since ballot papers had been destroyed. The commission approached the Electoral Court and registered a criminal case with the police.
Chief electoral officer, Sy Mamabolo outlined the scale of the election operation, which involved approximately 188,000 staff deployed across 23,696 voting stations.
The IEC printed more than 100-million ballot papers and deployed approximately 56,000 voter management devices to support voter verification and the administration of the elections.
Mamabolo said approximately 28-million ballot papers had to be superseded following a Constitutional Court order affecting candidate lists. The order affected 181 ANC candidates in six municipalities. The commission extended the same dispensation to other parties in similar circumstances to ensure equal treatment.
The IEC also introduced a virtual results operations centre, allowing political parties and candidates remote access to selected applications and reports during the results process.
Mamabolo said the commission would assess both the successes and shortcomings of the election operation. “Operational excellence is not a destination, but it is a continuous institutional commitment,” he said.
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