South Africa is heading into coalition negotiations in most of its major cities after the African National Congress recorded its weakest municipal election performance, according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
Table Of Content
The ANC received 30.76 percent of the vote, marking its worst-ever electoral result, while the Democratic Alliance secured the only outright majority among the country’s eight major cities in Cape Town. The DA won around one-quarter of the overall vote, according to the final count.
All but one of the eight major cities now face talks between political parties because no single party won enough support to govern alone. The exact cities involved were not specified.
Ramaphosa urges focus on communities
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the election result should guide the parties as they form new local administrations.
“The people have spoken. Their verdict must be respected. Their concerns must be heard and their expectations must now be met,” Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
He urged parties involved in coalition discussions to put communities first and warned that essential services should not be held hostage to political disagreements.
Newly elected councils are required by law to hold their first meetings within 14 days of the formal declaration of the results.
Service delivery concerns shape vote
Water shortages, electricity outages and poor service delivery were among the issues that dominated the election. The source also linked voter concerns to unemployment, crime and corruption scandals, with unemployment reported at more than 34 percent.
The ANC has dominated South African politics since the end of apartheid, but its support has declined from nearly two-thirds in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. The DA remains its closest challenger and is also the ANC’s main partner in the national unity government.
Electoral commission chairperson Mosotho Moepya said turnout reached 52 percent, six percentage points higher than in the 2021 municipal elections.
One municipality to rerun election
Moepya also said one municipality will hold its vote again after party supporters stormed a polling station and destroyed ballot papers. The municipality was not identified.
The rerun will take place alongside the political negotiations that will determine how councils operate in areas where no party secured an outright majority.
No Comment! Be the first one.