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ANC on course for worst-ever result in South African local elections

Partial counts put the ANC near 31% with the Democratic Alliance second, and coalition talks have begun before final results expected Sunday.

10 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from conservative outlets
Liberal5 outletsA bruising ANC defeat and its causesCenter4 outletsWorst-ever ANC showing and coming coalition bargainingConservative1 outletVoters abandoning the ANC for the DA
Published 4 min readMoney and daily life
Overview

South Africans voted in local elections on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Counting is still under way, and the African National Congress, which has led national governments since apartheid ended in 1994, is on course for its lowest vote share yet. In the Guardian's count, with most ballots counted, the ANC had 31.8% and the Democratic Alliance (DA) 24.1%.

The MK party of former president Jacob Zuma was third. Turnout was higher than in 2021, according to the election commission's estimate. The ANC is projected to lose its place as the biggest party in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the two most populous provinces.

The DA leads in Johannesburg and MK leads in eThekwini, which includes Durban, but outright majorities are unlikely in several major cities. Parties have begun behind closed doors. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said the party will hold a serious and honest reflection on rebuilding confidence.

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said it is premature to commit to any one partner. Final results are expected on Sunday. Councillors will then elect mayors and form municipal governments.

Key figures
  • 31.8% ANC national vote share with more than 80% of ballots counted — The Guardian (US)
  • 24.1% Democratic Alliance national vote share at the same point — The Guardian (US)
  • 9.3% MK party national vote share at the same point — The Guardian (US)
  • 54.5% estimated turnout of registered voters, per the election commission — The Guardian (US)
  • 220bn rand (£9.9bn) Johannesburg's admitted infrastructure spending backlog — The Guardian (US)

Three sides of the story

Liberal5 outlets

A bruising ANC defeat and its causes

The Guardian calls it a "bruising defeat" for the party of Nelson Mandela, with the ANC under a third of the vote and almost 14 percentage points below 2021. It blames unemployment, crime, corruption and poor local services, and describes Johannesburg's water and power cuts and 10 changes of mayor in a decade. Al Jazeera says the ANC is "on track for new lows", noting its fall from nearly 70 percent in 2004 and calling the vote a measure of sentiment before 2029.

ABC News carries an AP wire report headlined "huge decline in support", quoting spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu on a "serious, honest and deep reflection" and analyst Sandile Mnguni saying voters "are no longer voting out of loyalty." The Boston Globe runs an earlier AP wire report from voting day, covering Helen Zille's publicity stunts in Johannesburg, the MK party's first local contest and immigration as a campaign issue.

Center4 outlets

Worst-ever ANC showing and coming coalition bargaining

Courthouse News, running an AFP report, says the ANC "was headed for its worst-ever election performance" with just over 31% after 90% of votes were declared. It quotes analyst Daniel Silke calling it "the ANC's worst result in history", ANC representative Nomvula Mokonyane on a chance to "repackage and renew the ANC", and Hill-Lewis on putting together governments. The Seattle Times runs the AP wire report on interim results, with Bhengu's pledge of reflection and Hill-Lewis weighing coalitions case by case.

Deutsche Welle's voting-day piece cites rising frustration over services and quotes President Cyril Ramaphosa: "This election is an opportunity to turn this around." The BBC visits Alexandra township, where residents describe rubbish, water and power problems, and notes Ramaphosa denied a downward spiral.

Conservative1 outlet

Voters abandoning the ANC for the DA

Breitbart News headlines its report "Voters Abandoning the Socialist ANC" and says the party is on track for a historic loss of support. It quotes ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu on a "serious, honest and deep reflection," analysts Daniel Silke and Sandile Mnguni, and ANC spokesperson Sifiso Sonjica, who said the party sees it as "a maturing of democracy" that voters can choose another party. Breitbart says that in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC "is poised to lose its crown" as the largest member of multi-party alliances.

It describes the DA as "nipping at the ANC's heels" and says that if the trend continues, the trend lines cross in 2029. It attributes most disenchantment to mismanagement, citing failing infrastructure, crime, corruption and unemployment. On MK, it says the party has little governing experience and little enthusiasm for coalitions, and it names the DA as the party best placed to gain.

It also recounts Zille's zipline and snorkeling stunts and the ANC's missing paperwork for one of its Johannesburg mayoral candidates.

What a side did not mention
Money and daily life

Municipalities handle water, road maintenance and rubbish removal, according to AP. Councillors have two weeks after the count to elect mayors, the Guardian reports. Professor Amanda Gouws told AFP that coalitions have been unstable in the past and that this "is not going to improve service delivery." Residents of Johannesburg have faced regular water and power cuts, the Guardian says.

All sources: 16 articles from 10 outlets

Liberal (9)

Center (6)

Conservative (1)

Coalition and caretaker government

In a parliamentary system a government needs a majority of seats. When no party has one, several parties govern together and share the ministries. Until a new government is formed, the old one stays on as a caretaker with limited powers.

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