About this election
South Africa is scheduled to hold its local government (municipal) elections on 4 November 2026, electing the councils of all its metropolitan, district and local municipalities. It is the first nationwide test of the parties since the watershed 2024 general election, in which the African National Congress (ANC) lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994 and was forced into a Government of National Unity with the Democratic Alliance and others. The 2026 local elections will show whether that realignment extends to the grassroots and to control of the country's major cities.
South Africa elects its municipal councils through a mixed system. In the metropolitan and local municipalities, half the councillors are elected by first-past-the-post in single-member wards and half by closed-list proportional representation, with each voter casting a ward vote and a PR vote (and, where applicable, a district vote); the two are combined so that each council is broadly proportional to the parties' overall support. District municipalities are filled partly by proportional vote and partly by representatives delegated from the local councils within them. Mayors and executive committees are then chosen by the councils, which in the absence of a single-party majority has produced fragile multi-party coalitions in several big metros.
The ANC remains the largest party but has been in long-term decline, slipping below 50% nationally in 2024. The Democratic Alliance (DA) is the main opposition and governs the Western Cape and the city of Cape Town. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a radical-left party, holds the balance of power in several councils. The newest force is uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the party associated with former president Jacob Zuma, which surged in 2024 — especially in KwaZulu-Natal — and will contest local elections for the first time. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Freedom Front Plus, ActionSA and a host of smaller and local parties complete a crowded field; a record number of parties registered to contest 2026.
The November 2021 municipal elections were a historic low for the ANC, which fell below 50% nationally for the first time and lost outright control of several major metros.
| Party (2021, national vote) | Vote % |
| African National Congress (ANC) | 45.59 |
| Democratic Alliance (DA) | 21.62 |
| Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) | 10.32 |
| Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) | 5.65 |
The result left several big metros — including Johannesburg, Tshwane (Pretoria) and Ekurhuleni — without a majority party, ushering in unstable coalition governments that frequently changed mayors over the following years.
The decisive questions are how far the ANC falls and whether it can hold the cities it still controls, whether the DA can grow beyond the Western Cape, how the MK Party performs in its first local outing and whether it consolidates its 2024 breakthrough in KwaZulu-Natal, and whether the resulting councils produce workable coalitions or renewed instability. Service delivery — water, electricity, sanitation and the state of municipal finances — dominates local campaigns, alongside crime and unemployment.
South Africa's electoral map is regionally distinct: the DA is dominant in the Western Cape, the ANC remains strong across much of the rural interior, the EFF polls well in Limpopo and North West, and KwaZulu-Natal has become a fierce three-way contest among the MK Party, the IFP and the ANC. The Gauteng metros — the economic heartland around Johannesburg and Pretoria — are the most fragmented and the biggest prizes. ElectioMap will map results across the provinces and major metros as official figures are released.
This page will report the national party vote and the contests for the major metros, with a provincial map, as counting proceeds. Figures are sourced from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the body that administers and certifies the elections.
They are scheduled for 4 November 2026, electing the councils of all metropolitan, district and local municipalities. They are the first nationwide vote since the ANC lost its majority in the 2024 general election.
By a mixed system: in metros and local municipalities half the councillors are elected by first-past-the-post in wards and half by proportional representation, combined to make each council broadly proportional. District councils mix a proportional vote with delegates from local councils. Mayors are then chosen by the councils.
In 2024 the ANC fell below 50% nationally for the first time since 1994, forcing a Government of National Unity with the DA. The 2026 locals test whether that realignment reaches the cities — and how the new MK Party, contesting locally for the first time, performs.
The ANC won 45.59% nationally — a historic low — the DA 21.62% and the EFF 10.32%, leaving major metros such as Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni without a majority party and governed by unstable coalitions.
The Electoral Commission (IEC) reports results over the days following the vote. Live national figures and the contests for the major metros, with a provincial map, will appear on this page as counting proceeds.
Compiled and reviewed by Bartłomiej Paruzel, Election Data Analyst, from official results. See our data methodology.