The African National Congress (ANC) has recorded the worst election result in its history, DW reported. Final results announced on Sunday show the party won under 31% of the vote in last Wednesday's local elections. Its closest rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA), took about 25%.
South Africa's electoral commission said on Saturday that the ANC also lost its majority in six of the country's eight major metropolitan areas. No party won a majority in several cities, so tough coalition talks are expected there. The ANC still won the most votes nationally.
Many voters blame the party for water shortages and power cuts, according to DW. High unemployment, crime and widespread corruption also anger many South Africans. The rise of smaller parties has drawn away some former ANC supporters.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who also leads the ANC, has not commented directly on the results. In his weekly letter, however, he admitted that local government failures have weakened public trust in democratic rule.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula told reporters on Saturday that the party must work to win back public trust. "We cannot ask people to trust us just because of our history," he said. He called the results a disaster for the ANC but noted it remains the country's biggest party.
The DA, a centre-right, pro-business party, will keep running Cape Town after winning more than half the seats. It also did well in the capital, Pretoria, and in Johannesburg, the economic hub. There it is expected to form coalitions without the ANC. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said the priority is to form governments that can fix the cities' problems. He said the party had already contacted several parties and would keep talking.
The ANC, once led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela, helped end apartheid and took power in 1994. Its support has dropped over the past decade. It won 46% in the 2021 local elections and just over 40% in the 2024 general election. That vote cost it its parliamentary majority for the first time. It then formed a government of national unity, which remains in office.
Political analyst Daniel Silke told AFP that the results will weaken the ANC's influence at local and national level. He said they may also signal how voters lean ahead of the 2029 general election.