ANC faces bruising defeat in South African local elections with 80% of ballots counted

Key Points:

• The African National Congress (ANC) is facing a significant decline in South Africa’s local elections, with just 31.8% of the vote counted, down nearly 14 percentage points from 2021, reflecting voter dissatisfaction over unemployment, crime, corruption, and poor service delivery.
• The ANC is projected to lose its status as the largest party in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, with coalition talks underway among various parties as the final results are expected by Sunday.
• The Democratic Alliance (DA) leads in Johannesburg with 40% of votes counted, while the ANC trails at 17.5%; ActionSA, a right-wing party, holds 15.5%, complicating coalition formations in the city.
• The MK party, led by former ANC president Jacob Zuma, is expected to become the largest party in KwaZulu-Natal, reflecting a shift towards socially conservative Zulu nationalism combined with calls for land and wealth redistribution.
• Voter turnout increased to an estimated 54.5%, up from 46% in 2019, indicating heightened public engagement despite political fragmentation and uncertainty in forming stable local governments.