Here’s how South Africa voted in the LAST local government elections

South Africa heads towards the 2026 local government elections with the African National Congress (ANC) still the dominant party in municipal politics – but the Electoral Commission’s figures from the previous local government election in 2021 show just how much ground it has lost.

The official IEC figures supplied from its Local Government Election Results Dashboard show the ANC won 4 548 seats, translating into 45.59% support.

It remained comfortably ahead of its nearest rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which secured 1 497 seats and 21.66%.

Smaller parties

But the numbers also highlight the growing strength of smaller parties and the increasingly fragmented nature of South African local government.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) emerged as a significant force, winning 982 seats and 10.31% of the vote. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) followed with 545 seats and 5.64%, while the Freedom Front Plus recorded 221 seats and 2.34%.

Several newer or smaller parties also secured representation.

ActionSA won 90 seats, accounting for 2.33% of support, while the Patriotic Alliance (PA) took 75 seats, with 0.97%.

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) won 52 seats and 0.57%, while the United Democratic Movement (UDM) secured 51 seats and 0.47%.

The National Freedom Party (NFP) won 52 seats, representing 0.50%, while independent candidates secured 52 seats and 1.73%.

Coalition politics

The figures matter because local government is where political support translates most directly into control of municipalities – and where coalition politics can become decisive.

Although the ANC’s 45.59% gave it a commanding lead in terms of seats, it fell short of the 50% threshold required for an outright majority when measured against the national support figure presented by the IEC dashboard.

That created a very different political environment from the ANC’s earlier dominance.

The DA’s 21.66% placed it firmly in second position, but the combined strength of the opposition is spread across a large number of parties.

The EFF’s 10.31%, IFP’s 5.64%, ActionSA’s 2.33%, Freedom Front Plus’s 2.34% and PA’s 0.97% illustrate why post-election negotiations can be as important as the initial vote itself.

Clear warning

For the 2026 election, the critical question will therefore not simply be who wins the most votes. It will be who can turn those votes into governing coalitions.

The 2021 figures provide a clear warning for all the major parties.

The ANC remains the largest player, but it no longer operates in an overwhelmingly dominant municipal environment.

The DA remains the principal challenger, while the EFF and a collection of smaller parties have created a political landscape in which relatively modest shifts in support can determine who controls a council.

Return to the polls

With South Africans due to return to the polls on 4 November 2026, the battle for local government is shaping up as another test of whether the country’s traditional political order can survive – or whether coalition politics will become the defining feature of South African municipalities.

The 2021 numbers delivered the warning. The 2026 vote will reveal whether voters have turned that warning into a political earthquake.

Party	Votes	% Support	Seats
ANC	10 699 529	45.59%	4 548
DA	5 081 015	21.66%	1 497
EFF	2 419 025	10.31%	982
IFP	1 324 894	5.64%	545
VF Plus	549 926	2.34%	221
ActionSA	546 419	2.33%	90
PA	227 207	0.97%	75
ATM	133 732	0.57%	52
NFP	116 914	0.50%	52
UDM	110 392	0.47%	51
ICOSA	9 847	0.09%	8
Other parties	–	7.63%	621
Independents	–	1.73%	52