South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) was on nearly 31% of the vote with 76% counted in this week’s local-government elections, interim results showed on Friday.

The early tally marks a substantial fall from the party’s just-over-45% share in the 2021 municipal elections. It also showed the ANC trailing rival parties in Johannesburg, Tshwane — which includes Pretoria — and eThekwini, the municipality centred on Durban, the Associated Press reported.

The count is not final. Ballots were still being tallied when the figures were reported, so the national share and city-level standings may change as additional results are added. The available numbers do not yet establish which parties will control each municipality or what coalition arrangements may follow.

Why municipal control matters

Local elections determine who governs municipalities responsible for essential services such as water, electricity distribution, refuse collection and local roads. Results therefore measure not only national party support but voters’ assessments of service delivery and local leadership.

The ANC has governed South Africa nationally since the end of apartheid in 1994, but its support has declined in recent elections. In the 2024 national and provincial vote it lost its parliamentary majority for the first time, and formed a government of national unity with other parties.

The municipal count is an early indicator of how that political shift is playing out locally. It is too soon to treat provisional returns as a final verdict: the Electoral Commission’s completed count and subsequent council negotiations will determine the practical outcome in each area.