The IEC officially announced the results of South Africa’s 2026 local government elections on Sunday.
The MK Party held around 40% of the vote with 89% of罷 the metro’s votes announced. The DA followed at 24.4% and the ANC at 16.7%.
Projections from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research indicated a sharp decline for the ANC in the metro from previous cycles.
Political analyst Professor Zwelinzima Ndevu from the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University noted ahead of the final count that the municipality faced a fragmented council.
UKZN political analyst Dr Jabulani Nyawo emphasized that incoming coalition partners must prioritize ordinary citizens rather than narrow political gains.
The African National Congress (ANC) briefed members of the media at the Elections Results Operation Centre, sharing updates and insights as the country awaits the finalisation of the election results. pic.twitter.com/5Uo8J9CC4h
Leaders for both the MKP and the DA stated that they would seek alliances to gain an outright majority of the city.
Imtiaz Syed, who founded the Active Citizens Coalition in 2021, described the council math using a bakery analogy.
Look, the council is like a bakery with 224 loaves of bread. To own the bakery you need 113 loaves (51%).
Imtiaz Syed, Active Citizens Coalition
Syed also stated his stance on potential horse-trading: We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Maybe we should go with the will of the people, the party that gets the most votes. We will look at which portfolios (committee chairs) we can get. We are not looking for the mayor or deputy mayor’s post. The big parties have approached us … anything is possible.
Haniff Hoosen, the DA mayoral candidate for eThekwini, expressed confidence that the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party would fail to secure a fifty percent majority in the metro.
Hoosen made the remarks at the KwaZulu-Natal Results Operations Centre located at the Durban International Convention Centre as election results began to appear.
Today we attended the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa’s Local Government Elections Results Announcement at Gallagher Estate, Midrand. We also engaged with members of the media on the process the ANC has undertaken with regards to coalition talks with various… pic.twitter.com/wi9MWh50jI
Meanwhile, Willies Mchunu, who serves as the KwaZulu-Natal provincial convenor for the uMkhonto weSizwe party (MKP), made it clear that his organization is determined to run the City of eThekwini and will reject any scenario where they win the most votes yet remain out of power.
Mchunu noted that the electorate forces parties into coalitions, adding that the organisation will talk to all political parties who are prepared to talk to us, while asserting that a party had made it their task to block them from entering government.
As results continued to unfold, eNCA elections analyst Wayne Sussman pointed out the shifting voter priorities.
Asad Gaffar expressed optimism regarding municipal oversight and accountability under the constitution, noting that the administration must operate properly regardless of who holds power.
[WATCH SABC PLUS INTERVIEW] ANC STILL HUMBLY THE LARGEST PARTY The preliminary results show as much as the ANC is the largest party, we are obviously not happy with the results and we are grappling with that as the party and finding a way forward. This election did not produce… pic.twitter.com/KCy1pMqp06
At the same time, the Electoral Commission managed special voting logistics, confirming that pre-approved applicants were visited by officials while reminding participants to present acceptable identity documentation during the voting process.
The 2021 municipal leadership relied on an ANC-led coalition with minor parties that united to defeat the DA and force it into opposition.