The ANC has emerged from the 2026 local government elections as the largest political party nationally, but with just 30.76% of the vote, it has lost its dominance in municipal councils, while the Democratic Alliance and ActionSA have strengthened their positions.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) confirmed the final results on Sunday evening, following three days of counting, revealing a fragmented political landscape in which no single party has secured an outright majority across most municipalities.
Top Five Parties: IEC 2026 LGE Results
The ANC received 30.76% of the vote and secured 3 246 council seats, while the DA came second with 24.64% and 1 695 seats.
The uMkhonto weSizwe party (MKP) received 9.76% of the vote, securing 785 seats, followed by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which received 6.22% and won 588 seats.
ActionSA secured 5.67% of the vote and 313 council seats.
Independent candidates collectively received 22.9% of the vote, securing representation across municipal councils.
Despite remaining the largest party nationally, the ANC secured outright control in only 53 municipalities and emerged as the leading party in 128.
The DA secured outright control in 12 municipalities and emerged as the leading party in 32, while the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) secured control in five municipalities and led in 19.
The MKP secured control in three municipalities and emerged as the leading party in 19. Rise Tsantsabane Communities (RTC) secured control of one municipality in the Northern Cape.
Of the 213 municipalities, 74 councils have a party with an outright majority. Coalition governments and negotiations are likely to shape local governance over the next five.
Technology as a Growing Feature of IEC Operations
IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said voting was not merely an exercise in political choice but an expression of citizens' constitutional rights and collective citizenship.
He said citizens' destinies were intertwined within a shared political system.
“What does it mean for a person to go and queue at the voting station to cast the ballot?” Mamabolo asked.
He described the election as one of the most complex operations undertaken by a public institution, requiring the IEC to coordinate extensive operational, logistical and administrative systems across the country.
“Technology is an essential component, if not a hallmark, of our electoral architecture,” he said.
Mamabolo praised the virtual results operation centre as a successful innovation that had improved public access to electoral information.
He also highlighted the role of voter management devices (VMDs), describing them as the technological backbone of election-day operations.
“At the heart of our election day operations are the voter management devices (VMDs). These devices constitute the technological backbone of our voting operations. VMDs are central to the commission's ability to maintain oversight over field-based activities taking place across the country,” he said.
The devices were connected wirelessly to voting operations centres, allowing the commission to monitor activities at voting stations.
The IEC deployed an additional 16 000 VMDs compared with the 2021 local government elections, including 8 000 donated by the Gauteng provincial government.
“With these additional devices, the commission's total VMD deployment increased to 56 000 devices, comprising the 40 000 procured in 2021 and the additional 16 000 deployed for these elections,” Mamabolo said.
The commission printed more than 100-million ballot papers for the 2026 elections.
The elections also followed a Constitutional Court ruling granting the ANC's application to reinstate 181 councillor candidates who had initially been excluded from the ballot after the party missed the IEC's candidate submission deadline. The commission subsequently extended the reinstatement process to 32 additional candidates from other political parties.
The scale of the operation required the mobilisation of 188 000 electoral personnel to administer 23 696 voting stations and manage more than 100-million ballot papers.
The IEC said 15.6-million voters turned out to participate in the elections.