NKANGALA – For years, the African National Congress (ANC) governed most municipalities in Nkangala with outright majorities. But following the 2026 Local Government Elections, seat allocations show that the party has lost that dominance, leaving all six local municipalities facing coalition negotiations.
Former President Jacob Zuma once told ANC supporters that the party would rule until Jesus came back. He was also reported to have said that voting for the ANC meant choosing heaven. In Nkangala, where the party had long enjoyed strong electoral support, that confidence appeared difficult to challenge. The latest election results, however, tell a different story.
In Steve Tshwete, where the council was already hung after the previous election, the political balance has shifted further. Although the Democratic Alliance (DA) received more votes overall, the ANC emerged as the largest party in the 58-seat council with 19 seats, all won through ward elections. The DA secured 16 seats, including eight wards and eight proportional representation (PR) seats, while the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) received five seats, all through PR.
With 30 seats needed for a majority, the ANC remains the largest party in council despite trailing the DA in total votes. Neither party can govern alone, leaving smaller parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), in a position to influence coalition negotiations.
In eMalahleni, the ANC has also lost ground, securing 23 of the municipality's 71 council seats, all through ward victories. The DA follows with 17 seats, comprising 10 wards and seven PR seats, while the MK Party secured 10 seats, including one ward and nine PR seats. With 36 seats needed for a majority, the ANC remains the largest party but is 13 seats short of governing alone.
In Victor Khanye, the ANC's loss of its outright majority has been accompanied by the emergence of the Service Delivery Party (SDP), formed by former ANC leader Thabo Motau, as the largest party in the new council. The SDP secured seven of the municipality's 17 seats, including five wards and two PR seats, while the ANC follows with five seats, comprising three wards and two PR seats.
The DA and Our Last Hope each secured two seats. The DA won one ward and one PR seat, while Our Last Hope received both seats through PR. With nine seats required for a majority, the SDP needs the support of at least two more councillors to govern.
A similar picture has emerged in eMakhazeni, where the ANC secured seven of the municipality's 15 seats, all through ward elections. The DA follows with three seats, including one ward and two PR seats, while the EFF and several smaller parties each secured one seat. The ANC is just one seat short of the eight required for a majority, giving smaller parties a potentially decisive role in determining who governs.
In Thembisile Hani, the ANC won all 33 wards but still fell short of an outright majority in the 66-seat council. The DA follows with nine PR seats, while the EFF and MK Party each secured five PR seats, without winning any wards. Despite its clean sweep of ward contests, the ANC needs one additional seat to reach the 34 required for a majority.
In Dr JS Moroka, the ANC secured 29 of the municipality's 62 seats, including 28 wards and one PR seat. The DA and EFF each secured six seats. The DA received all its seats through PR, while the EFF won one ward and five PR seats. Two wards were also won by independent candidates, leaving the ANC three seats short of the 32 needed for a majority.
One of the most striking features of the results is that the ANC received no additional PR seats in four municipalities: Steve Tshwete, eMalahleni, eMakhazeni and Thembisile Hani.
This does not mean the party received no PR votes. Under the municipal electoral system, ward victories are taken into account when determining a party's overall seat allocation. Where a party has already won enough wards to meet or exceed its calculated entitlement, it may receive no additional PR seats.
The results show that although the ANC continues to perform strongly in ward contests, including winning every ward in Thembisile Hani, those victories have not been enough to give it outright control of the councils. Opposition parties, meanwhile, have gained representation through PR seats, even in areas where they won few or no wards.
The results also suggest that voters have not moved collectively towards one opposition party. Instead, support has been spread across the DA, SDP, MK Party and smaller political organisations, making coalition arrangements a central issue in the formation of the new councils.
For residents, however, the prospect of coalition government does not necessarily inspire confidence.
Thumelo Mashaba told Highveld Chronicle that he does not trust the ANC to lead a coalition government.
“I do not trust the ANC leading a coalition government. Look in Steve Tshwete, we had an ANC mayor but things deteriorated to worse. I think it will be better to have a different party leading the coalition government,” Mashaba said.
Sammy Seremuletse was even more sceptical about coalition governments themselves.
“Coalition governments have never worked. What we have observed so far is political parties blaming each other for service delivery failures. No one wants to take responsibility,” Seremuletse said.
Their concerns reflect a broader question facing the incoming municipal administrations: whether parties that must now share power can work together while remaining accountable for service delivery.
Residents will be looking for improvements in water supply, road infrastructure, electricity provision and other basic municipal services, regardless of which parties form the governing coalitions.
The ANC may still emerge as a leading partner in some of Nkangala's coalition arrangements, but the seat allocations show that it will have to negotiate and secure support from other parties rather than govern alone.
The challenge for all parties will be to turn their electoral support into stable administrations that can deliver on the needs of communities.
