South Africa’s African National Congress won about 31% of the national vote in the Nov. 4 local elections with 99% of ballots counted, Al Jazeera reported. The Associated Press put the ANC at around 30% and called it the party’s worst election result ever.
What the count shows
The Democratic Alliance had 25%, and former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party had about 10%, Al Jazeera reported. The ANC won 45% in the 2021 local elections, the AP reported, and was on course to lose about one-third of that support.
The ANC failed to win an outright majority in any of the eight major metro areas, Al Jazeera reported. The party was on course to lose its place as the largest party to the DA in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Ekurhuleni, the AP reported. The DA retained control of Cape Town, the AP reported.
In Johannesburg, the DA led with about 35% to the ANC’s about 20%, Al Jazeera reported. Helen Zille, the DA’s mayoral candidate there, has a chance of becoming mayor depending on coalition agreements, Al Jazeera reported.
What the parties said
“This has been a very catastrophic outcome for the ANC,” ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said, the AP reported. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said his party had “taken a big step forward” toward becoming the country’s largest, the AP reported.
Voters cited outages of water and electricity, broken roads, uncollected refuse and corruption scandals linked to the ANC, the AP reported.
What happens next
Parties have 14 days to negotiate before city councils are formed, Al Jazeera reported. Most big cities may end up with hung councils, the AP reported. Final results from the electoral commission were expected late Sunday, the AP reported. More coverage is in The Boston Report’s World News section.
Sources
- Al Jazeera: South Africa’s ANC suffers setback in local elections
- Associated Press (via ABC News): South Africa’s ANC humbled as worst election results continues
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