1.5 million more South Africans say NO to ANC in Elections 2026
· The South African
The African National Congress (ANC) lost more than 1.5 million votes since the 2021 Local Government Elections, underlining the scale of the governing party’s continued decline in support.
With the 2026 Local Government Elections results announced late on Sunday, the ANC received 9 160 691 votes, compared with 10 699 300 in 2021.
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That represents a loss of 1 538 609 votes in five years.
This year’s results left the ANC with 30.76% of the national vote, a significant drop from its 2021 performance of 45.59%.
While the ANC remains the largest party nationally, the figures point to a further erosion of its support base and a changing political landscape.
DA makes major gains as ANC loses ground
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the changing political landscape.
The party secured 7 339 294 votes in 2026, up from 5 071 626 in 2021.
That is an increase of 2 267 668 votes, taking its share of the national vote to 24.64%.
Although the DA remains behind the ANC nationally, the gap between the two parties has narrowed considerably.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), meanwhile, have also lost support. The party received 1 851 983 votes, down from 2 419 430 in 2021 – a decline of 567 447 votes.
MK Party makes strong entrance
The 2026 elections also marked the MK Party’s first participation in a local government election.
The party secured 2 910 914 votes, representing 9.77% of the national vote.
Its performance placed it third nationally, ahead of the EFF, and made it a significant force in the coalition negotiations expected to follow the election.
The MK Party also emerged as the leading party in KwaZulu-Natal, although it did not secure an outright majority in eThekwini.
ActionSA and smaller parties increase support
ActionSA recorded a substantial increase in its support, rising from 547 905 votes in 2021 to 1 689 385 in 2026.
That represents a gain of 1 141 480 votes.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) also increased its vote total, from 1 324 905 to 1 396 919, while the Freedom Front Plus rose from 549 349 to 890 264.
The Patriotic Alliance increased its support from 226 884 votes in 2021 to 588 333 in 2026.
How the major parties performed: 2021 vs 2026
The following figures show the change in actual votes received by the major parties across the two elections.
Party2021 votes2026 votesChangeANC10 699 3009 160 691-1 538 609DA5 071 6267 339 294+2 267 668MK PartyDid not contest2 910 914NewEFF2 419 4301 851 983-567 447ActionSA547 9051 689 385+1 141 480IFP1 324 9051 396 919+72 014FF Plus549 349890 264+340 915Patriotic Alliance226 884588 333+361 449Coalition politics set to shape the next five years
The ANC’s decline has consequences beyond its national vote share.
The IEC results show 138 hung councils, meaning no party has secured more than 50% of the seats in those municipalities. Only 74 councils were recorded as controlled, with one still awaiting calculation in the results snapshot.
This means coalition negotiations will play a major role in determining who governs many municipalities over the next five years.
Despite remaining the largest party nationally, the ANC will need to negotiate with other political parties in numerous councils if it hopes to retain or secure control.
The 2026 results therefore represent more than a decline in the ANC’s vote total. They point to a political environment in which the party can no longer assume that being the biggest party is enough to govern.
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