{
  "id": 18500736,
  "title": "ANC faces bruising defeat in South African local elections with 80% of ballots counted",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/anc-faces-bruising-defeat-in-south-african-local-elections-with-80-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T12:48:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian",
    "slug": "the-guardian",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/06/anc-faces-defeat-south-african-local-elections"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "South African political party the African National Congress (ANC) is projected to suffer a significant defeat in the country's local elections, according to initial results from more than 80% of ballots counted. The ANC, which has led national governments since 1994, is expected to fall below a third of the national vote, down from a 31.8% share in 2021. This decline is attributed to issues such as high unemployment, crime, corruption, and poor local services. The Democratic Alliance (DA), a centre-right party led by white South Africans, has gained ground, with 24.1% of the vote, while Jacob Zuma's former party, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), has performed well with 9.3% of the vote. The election saw a rise in turnout, with 54.5% of registered voters casting their ballots, up from 46% in 2016. As final results are still pending, negotiations for coalition governments are underway, with the DA leading in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and KwaZulu-Natal's eThekwini municipality. The ANC's status as the largest party in these regions is now in question, with the MK party potentially displacing it in KwaZulu-Natal.",
  "summary": "Former liberation movement’s share of national vote almost 14 percentage points below 2021 result The African National Congress is on course to suffer a bruising defeat in South Africa’s local elections, with the once dominant party of Nelson Mandela falling to under a third of the vote nationally with more than 80% of ballots counted. Wednesday’s fragmented vote marks another stage in the…",
  "key_points": [
    "ANC projected to lose significant ground in South African local elections",
    "Democratic Alliance gains 24.1% of the vote, displacing ANC",
    "Jacob Zuma's former party uMkhonto weSizwe performs well with 9.3%"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "South African man wanted in US after missing court hearing in child sexual abuse material case",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/south-african-man-wanted-in-us-after-missing-court-hearing-in-child",
        "published": "2026-11-06T11:48:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}