The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) has emerged as the biggest party in eThekwini following the conclusion of the 2026 municipal elections, despite internal leadership instability.
The party secured 38.29% of the vote, translating into 86 seats in the 223-member council. However, it fell short of the 112 seats required for an outright majority.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) finished second with 25.45% and 57 seats, followed by the African National Congress (ANC), which received 16.43% and secured 37 seats.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) obtained 6.79% and 15 seats, while ActionSA received 2.85%, securing seven seats. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) managed just 1.62% and four seats.
The results represent a dramatic change in the political composition of the municipality compared with the 2021 elections.
The ANC, which previously held 96 seats, lost 59 and was reduced to 37. The EFF also suffered a substantial decline, losing 20 seats, from 24 to just four.
The DA experienced a relatively small decline, dropping from 59 seats to 57, while the IFP lost one seat, falling from 16 to 15.
In contrast, ActionSA increased its representation from four seats to seven, while the MK Party entered the council with 86 seats in its first municipal election.
The outcome leaves eThekwini facing coalition negotiations, with no single party having secured enough seats to govern independently.
The DA, meanwhile, secured an outright majority in Cape Town, winning 56.42% of the vote and 133 of the city’s 235 council seats.
The ANC finished a distant second with 13.95%, while the Patriotic Alliance (PA) received 3.77%. The EFF obtained 3.73%, followed by the Freedom Front Plus with 3.42%.
The DA’s result allows it to retain control of the municipality without depending on coalition partners, despite a slight decline in its vote share compared with 2021.
In Gauteng, the DA emerged as the leading party in all three metropolitan municipalities, namely Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
In Johannesburg, the DA secured 34.79% of the vote, followed by the ANC with 20.25% and ActionSA with 16.27%.
ActionSA recorded a particularly strong performance in Tshwane, where it obtained 22.07%, finishing second behind the DA, which received 34.37%. The ANC came third with 20.22%.
In Ekurhuleni, the DA also finished first with 30.68%, followed by the ANC with 22.11% and ActionSA with 18.5%.
Although the DA led in all three Gauteng metros, it failed to secure an outright majority in any of them, leaving their political futures dependent on coalition negotiations.
ActionSA’s performance was among the notable developments in Gauteng. Nationally, the party increased its support from 2.33% in the 2021 municipal elections to 5.67% in 2026.
Its support for the March and March movement’s campaign against illegal immigration has also featured in discussions about the party’s growing appeal among voters concerned about lax immigration law enforcement and its impact on local communities.
The two organisations have previously joined forces in demonstrations calling for the deportation of undocumented migrants and stricter immigration controls.
The DA emerged as the leading party in five of South Africa’s eight metropolitan municipalities. Besides Cape Town and the three Gauteng metros, it also finished first in Nelson Mandela Bay with 44.17%.
The ANC retained the lead in Buffalo City, where it received 41.93%, and Mangaung, where it narrowly edged out the DA with 33.91% against 33.49%.
The national results nevertheless reflected a significant setback for the governing party.
The ANC remained the country’s largest party nationally, but its support fell from 45.59% in 2021 to 30.76% in the latest elections.
The DA finished second with 24.64%, followed by the MK Party with 9.76%, the EFF with 6.22% and ActionSA with 5.67%.
The results point to an increasingly fragmented political landscape, with coalition arrangements expected to play a decisive role in the administration of municipalities where no party secured an outright majority.
