ELECTIONS LIVE: 97% of the votes recorded
Now that we know who got what in each area, the coalition talks can begin.
As the 2026 Local Government elections near completion, with 97% of votes recorded, the political landscape in South Africa is shifting rapidly. Several metros and municipalities across the country are now left to form coalitions, with some parties, including the DA, already beginning preliminary coalition discussions. Meetings will be held this weekend by all political parties to decide on possible coalition partners and negotiation strategies.
The ANC's support has visibly waned nationwide, with opposition parties outperforming them in three provinces. The DA leads in the Western Cape and Gauteng, while the MK party is ahead in KwaZulu-Natal. An overwhelming 15.9 million South Africans cast their ballots in this election, resulting in a voter turnout of 54.4%. This is higher than the 45.86% turnout in the previous local government elections of 2021, where there were 29.2 million registered voters.
Coalition negotiations are already underway, with the DA poised to discuss terms with the ANC and other parties. The political environment is further marked by the evident decline in ANC support across South Africa.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
