{
  "id": 18566141,
  "title": "Mandela’s Party Loses Buffalo City Majority",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/mandelas-party-loses-buffalo-city-majority",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-06T20:32:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/anc-loses-buffalo-city-majority-udm-surges-eastern-cape-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's ruling party, has lost its majority in Buffalo City, a large metropolitan area in the Eastern Cape province. The ANC's vote share dropped from 59.43 percent in 2021 to 41.94 percent in 2026, according to the Electoral Commission's results dashboard. The United Democratic Movement (UDM), an opposition party led by Bantu Holomisa, surged from 0.96 percent to 18.39 percent, now ranking second. For those unfamiliar with South African politics, the ANC's loss in a traditional stronghold could lead to unstable coalition deals in the country's cities.\n\nIn Buffalo City, the ANC secured 208,535 votes, the UDM obtained 91,461 votes, and the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main center-right opposition party, garnered 83,805 votes. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gained 6.77 percent, and the South African Communist Party (SACP) received 4.45 percent. The dashboard had counted all 380 voting districts in Buffalo City as of Friday evening, 6 November 2026. The ANC had won 208,535 votes in Buffalo City in 2021, and held 61 of the 100 council seats. However, this year, the ANC only won 38 of the 49 ward seats declared and the ward 15 race was tied between the DA and EFF with 1,714 votes each.\n\nThe ANC still leads the province's counted votes with 46.03 percent. The 2029 national and provincial elections are coming up, and the UDM's mayoral candidate, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, indicated that the party would only explore pacts with fellow opposition parties. The ANC has led South Africa since 1994, and the UDM is its partner in the national unity government. The losing of the majority in Buffalo City could mean more coalition bargaining in many cities. The IEC's records show the ANC winning at least 70 percent of council seats in 2000, 2006, and 2011. Overall, the drop in vote share is what has dropped.",
  "summary": "The ANC dropped from 59% to 42% in Buffalo City, in South Africa's Eastern Cape, while the UDM rose to 18%. No party can now govern alone. The post Mandela’s Party Loses Buffalo City Majority appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "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."
}