{
  "id": 18126118,
  "title": "Mbeki predicts rise in hung municipalities as Ntshavheni questions foreigners voting",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/mbeki-predicts-rise-in-hung-municipalities-as-ntshavheni-questions",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-04T13:38:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/elections/thabo-mbeki-hung-municipalities-ntshavheni/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former president Thabo Mbeki has cautioned that South Africa might experience an increase in hung municipalities following the 2026 local government elections. This prediction stems from growing political fragmentation and uncertainty regarding the nation's future trajectory. Speaking at Killarney Country Club in Johannesburg on November 4, 2026, Mbeki reflected on the country's predicament, acknowledging that the issues were too vast to address comprehensively during his brief press interaction. However, he emphasized that the populace's growing dissatisfaction was evident in the escalating political fragmentation. \"That’s too long a story to tell. We can’t tell that story [now], but things have gone wrong, and you see the population is also saying that. “That’s why you find a lot of fragmentation in terms of the voting and a lot of political parties,” he told reporters.\n\nMbeki also forecasted a rise in municipalities failing to secure a clear majority, leading to hung councils. He stated, \"I think they’re correct that we are going to have a lot of hung local municipalities because of this uncertainty about where the country and municipalities should go.\" This forecast comes in the wake of several key municipalities, such as Nelson Mandela Bay, Johannesburg, and Tshwane, experiencing frequent coalition arrangements due to the absence of outright majorities. The total number of hung councils across South Africa's 257 municipalities has surged from 29 in 2000 to just over 60 in 2021, with no party securing a majority in 66 municipalities during the 2021 elections – a doubling from the 2016 figures.\n\nConversely, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister in the Presidency, refuted claims that foreign nationals can vote in the elections. She clarified that only South Africans possessing valid South African IDs can participate in the voting process. Foreign nationals, regardless of their presence on permits or visas, are ineligible to cast ballots, as they cannot be documented in South Africa. Ntshavheni urged those who have lost their IDs to visit Home Affairs offices to obtain temporary IDs, enabling them to vote in the upcoming elections.",
  "summary": "The former president says growing dissatisfaction among voters is reflected in the fragmented political landscape.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}