AWKWARD! Cyril Ramaphosa to attend Election 2026 results announcement

President Cyril Ramaphosa will attend the announcement of the final results of South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections on Sunday, in what could be a politically uncomfortable occasion for the ANC leader following the party’s poor election performance.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will announce the results from 18:00 at its National Results Operations Centre at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng.

The ceremony will be broadcast live.

Cyril Ramaphosa has led the ANC to its worst-ever election results this year.

VIDEO | DA emerges as the BIG winner from Elections 2026

ANC LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION RESULTS SINCE 2000

Year	Percentage
2000	59.39%
2006	64.82%
2011	61.95%
2016	53.91%
2021	45.59%
2026	30.77% *

* Not final

According to the Presidency, Ramaphosa will attend in his capacity as President of the Republic of South Africa and deliver brief remarks.

However, the occasion comes against the backdrop of a significant setback for the ANC, which has recorded a sharp decline in voter support.

With 99% of votes counted nationally, the governing party was sitting at approximately 30.77% of the vote, compared with 45.59% in the 2021 Local Government Elections.

The result represents a loss of close to 15 percentage points and adds to the political pressure on the ANC leadership following the party’s loss of its national parliamentary majority in the 2024 general election.

Talking point

The ANC’s performance in KwaZulu-Natal has also been a major talking point.

With 99% of votes counted in the province, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) Party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, was ahead with 34.33% of the vote. The ANC was on 20.28%, narrowly behind the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on 20.15%.

The ANC’s national leadership has acknowledged the scale of the election setback, with secretary-general Fikile Mbalula describing the outcome as “catastrophic”.

Ramaphosa’s appearance at the IEC ceremony is therefore likely to attract particular attention, as the President delivers remarks while his party faces questions about its declining electoral support and its future in local government.

South Africans went to the polls

South Africans voted on Wednesday, 4 November, to elect representatives to municipal councils across the country.

Special voting took place on 2 and 3 November.

Registered voters were given the opportunity to choose their local representatives and influence decisions affecting service delivery in their communities.

The final results will determine the political make-up of municipal councils across the country, including those where no party has secured an outright majority and coalition arrangements will be required.