South Africa's ANC records worst-ever results in local elections

The ANC won 30.76% of the vote in South Africa’s local elections, down from 46% in 2021, and secured a majority in only Limpopo province. It won the most votes in just two of the country’s eight cities; Jacob Zuma’s MK party overtook it in Durban, while the Democratic Alliance retained Cape Town. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula called the result “catastrophic,” and President Cyril Ramaphosa said the party accepted voters’ verdict. The result extends the ANC’s decline after it lost its national majority for the first time in 2024.