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South Africa's ANC facing worst-ever performance in local elections

South Africa's ruling African National Congress has recorded its worst-ever electoral performance in municipal elections, capturing slightly over 30 percent of the vote as the count entered its final stretch with 80 percent of ballots tallied. The once-dominant party that previously commanded nearly 70 percent of the national vote now struggles to maintain a third of support. As control of key metropolitan areas slips away, the party faces a complex coalition scramble. President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the verdict must be respected, while the party secretary-general described the outcome as catastrophic.

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⚡ Key Developments & Real-Time Context
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  • ✓ The African National Congress took hardly over 30 percent of votes in municipal elections, marking its worst-ever electoral performance.
  • ✓ President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the verdict must be respected.
  • ✓ The party secretary-general called the outcome catastrophic.
  • ✓ With 80 percent of ballots counted, the ANC faced a bruising defeat as control of key metros slipped away.
🛡️ Source Corroboration: 26 independent reporting domains (100% confidence) ⏱ Read time: ~2 min

What changed

The municipal vote count entered its final stretch with 80 percent of ballots tallied, confirming the ruling party's lowest support level on record.

Live updates

  1. South Africa's ANC Faces Worst-Ever Defeat in Municipal Vote

    South Africa's ruling African National Congress has recorded its worst-ever electoral performance in municipal elections, capturing slightly over 30 percent of the vote as the count entered its final stretch with 80 percent of ballots tallied. The once-dominant party that previously commanded nearly 70 percent of the national vote now struggles to maintain a third of support. As control of key metropolitan areas slips away, the party faces a complex coalition scramble. President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the verdict must be respected, while the party secretary-general described the outcome as catastrophic.

    Why it matters

    The decline of the African National Congress marks a severe historical setback for the party that defeated apartheid and led South Africa's democracy. The municipal results indicate a massive plunge in voter support, raising urgent questions about the party's political authority and future electoral prospects. Opposition parties including the Democratic Alliance have made significant gains, forcing the ruling party into unfamiliar coalition negotiations to retain municipal power.

    What is confirmed

    • The African National Congress took hardly over 30 percent of votes in municipal elections, marking its worst-ever electoral performance.
    • President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the verdict must be respected.
    • The party secretary-general called the outcome catastrophic.
    • With 80 percent of ballots counted, the ANC faced a bruising defeat as control of key metros slipped away.

    Still unconfirmed

    • The election results faced delays alongside a major blow for Julius Malema.

    What to watch next

    • Final certified municipal election results from the electoral commission
    • Formation of local government coalitions in contested metropolitan areas
    Sources used for this update (28)
    1. www.aljazeera.com — Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
    2. www.africanews.com — Africanews | Latest breaking news, daily news and African news...
    3. www.yahoo.com — Yahoo
    4. abcnews.com — ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
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    9. www.gbcghanaonline.com — Nurse killed and health worker injured in DR Congo Ebola attack
    10. AP News — South Africans to vote in key local elections seen as a tough test for ruling ANC
    11. The Guardian — ANC faces bruising defeat in South African local elections with 80% of ballots counted
    12. Financial Times — South Africa’s incredible shrinking ANC
    confidence 100%
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