DELMAS – The Service Delivery Party (SDP) has emerged as the largest party in Victor Khanye Local Municipality after winning five of the municipality's nine wards in the 2026 Local Government Elections, ending the African National Congress's (ANC) outright majority in the council.
Formed on 10 January 2026, the SDP contested its first local government elections on 4 November, making a significant breakthrough in Victor Khanye while also securing representation in municipalities across Mpumalanga.
The party won Wards 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 in Victor Khanye, while the ANC retained Wards 1, 2 and 6. The Democratic Alliance (DA) secured Ward 8.
Following the allocation of proportional representation (PR) seats, the SDP emerged with seven of the municipality's 17 council seats, comprising five ward and two PR seats.
The ANC follows with five seats, including three ward and two PR seats. Our Last Hope (OLH) and the DA each secured two seats, while the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) received one seat.
Despite emerging as the largest party, the SDP is two seats short of the nine needed for an outright majority, meaning it will need support from other parties to govern.
According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) results, the SDP received 39.53% support in Victor Khanye, its strongest electoral performance in Mpumalanga.
The party also made inroads in the other five local municipalities within Nkangala District, although its support was considerably lower than in Victor Khanye.
In eMalahleni, the SDP secured four council seats with 4.77% support, while in Thembisile Hani it obtained three seats with 4.82% of the vote.
The party also secured three seats in Dr JS Moroka with 4.84% support, two seats in Steve Tshwete with 3.56%, and one seat in eMakhazeni with 6.52%.
These results give the SDP a total of 20 seats across Nkangala's six local municipalities, with Victor Khanye accounting for seven of them.
Although the party did not emerge as the leading political organisation in the other five municipalities, its representation gives it a voice in councils where political parties are expected to negotiate over the formation of new administrations.
Beyond Nkangala, the SDP also secured representation in several municipalities across Mpumalanga.
Its second-highest percentage of support was recorded in Dipaleseng, where it obtained 12.48% and one council seat, followed by Chief Albert Luthuli with 8.11% and four seats.
In the City of Mbombela, the party secured eight seats with 8.14% support, its highest number of seats in any municipality in the province.
Other results included three seats in Govan Mbeki, two in Lekwa, and one each in Msukaligwa, Mkhondo, Thaba Chweu, Nkomazi and Bushbuckridge.
The party secured no seat in Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme despite receiving 1.9% support.
Across Mpumalanga, the SDP secured 172,151 votes, representing 5.22% of all valid ward, proportional representation (PR) and district council ballots combined. The party reportedly finished fifth in the province in terms of municipal council seats, securing a total of 43 seats.
The figures include 58,526 ward votes, 57,687 PR votes and 55,938 district council votes.
The results suggest that while Victor Khanye has emerged as the SDP's strongest political base, the party has managed to establish a presence beyond the municipality where it recorded its biggest breakthrough.
Celebrating its performance in a statement shared on Facebook, the SDP described its journey from formation to contesting elections across all nine provinces as a major achievement.
"From 10 January 2026 to 4 November 2026, this is a massive achievement," the party said.
"In less than 10 months, SDP went from being formed to contesting its first Local Government Elections in all nine provinces. That is no small achievement. SDP is more than ready for 2029."
The results also drew reactions from residents, with some welcoming the party's performance amid concerns over service delivery.
Commenting on Highveld Chronicle's Facebook page, Emile Rademeyer said: "For a new party they are doing good. We are gatvol for bad service."
The publication approached the SDP for comment on its electoral performance and plans for Victor Khanye.
The party indicated that it would be available to respond after Monday, 9 November, once the IEC had completed the vote-counting process.
With no party holding an outright majority in Victor Khanye, attention now turns to negotiations over who will lead the municipality.
The new council will elect its speaker and executive mayor at its first sitting, with the outcome likely to depend on agreements between the parties represented in council.
For the SDP, which was formed less than a year before the elections, the results mark an important political breakthrough, not only in Victor Khanye but across Mpumalanga.
However, its biggest test will be whether it can turn its electoral support into meaningful influence in municipal councils and, particularly in Victor Khanye, contribute to an administration capable of addressing residents' service delivery concerns.
