2026 Election Results: The ANC and its breakaway parties fell below 50% for the first time since 1994
For the first time in South Africa’s democratic history, the ANC and its splinter parties, COPE, the EFF, and the MK Party, did not get 50% of the vote.
This signals a change in South African politics where people care more about service delivery than the history of the liberation movement.
South Africa’s local government elections took place between Monday, 2 November 2026, and Wednesday, 4 November 2026.
The IEC announced that there were 29.2 million registered voters, of which 14.9 million voted, equating to a turnout rate of 52%.
The African National Congress (ANC) achieved the highest share of the vote at 30.76%, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) at 24.64%.
Former President Jacob Zuma’s party, uMkhonto weSizwe, also known as the MK Party, finished third with 9.76%.
Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) finished fourth, with 6.22%, and Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA fifth, with 5.67%.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the 2026 local government election results have been catastrophic for the party.
“If anyone has not heard what the people are saying through this election, then we are lost. This has been a very catastrophic outcome for the ANC,” he said.
“As much as we are the largest party, it has been catastrophic for the movement. We knew this disaster was coming.”
He added that, although they successfully liberated black South Africans and gave them the right to vote, that is not enough to get their votes.
He said that the ANC needs to ensure that it governs well and provides people with quality services to gain their support.
“The ANC should never be comfortable about this particular space we are in,” he said in response to the poor results.
Big change in the South African political landscape
The 2026 local government elections signalled a change in the South African political landscape, where service delivery was the prominent feature.
Voters punished the African National Congress for widespread corruption, mismanagement, and poor service delivery.
These voters migrated to ActionSA, which is seen as a political party which is much cleaner and focused on service delivery, especially in poor areas.
What was striking is that the EFF has, like the ANC, taken a significant knock. Its vote share declined by 40% since the last local government elections.
EFF leader Julius Malema offered many excuses for its poor performance, including low voter turnout amongst black voters and his refusal to take an anti-immigrant stance.
He even blamed the ANC for forming a government of national unity (GNU) with the DA, saying it legitimised the white people who killed their struggle heroes.
The reality is that voters are tired of slogans and racially divisive politics, which the EFF is known for, as it does not improve their lives.
What was also noteworthy about the national vote in the 2026 elections was that the ANC and its splinter parties, COPE, the EFF, and the MK Party, fell below 50% of the vote.
This is the first time since the first democratic elections in 1994 that the ANC and its breakaway parties did not achieve a majority of the vote.
The support of the ANC and its breakaway parties, in this case, COPE, peaked in 2009 at 73%. However, since then, the support has declined.
It reached an all-time low in the 2026 elections, where the combined vote share of the ANC, COPE, EFF, and MK Party was 47%.
It shows a maturing democracy where voters start to move away from the concept of a ‘party for life’, similar to supporting a soccer club.
The table below shows the support of the ANC and its breakaway parties from 1994 to 2026.
| Election | ANC | COPE | EFF | MK Party | Total |
| 1994 | 62.65% | – | – | – | 62.65% |
| 1996 | 58.02% | – | – | – | 58.02% |
| 1999 | 66.35% | – | – | – | 66.35% |
| 2000 | 59.39% | – | – | – | 59.39% |
| 2004 | 69.69% | – | – | – | 69.69% |
| 2006 | 64.87% | – | – | – | 64.87% |
| 2009 | 65.90% | 7.42% | – | – | 73.32% |
| 2011 | 61.95% | 2.14% | – | – | 64.09% |
| 2014 | 62.15% | 0.67% | 6.35% | – | 69.17% |
| 2016 | 53.91% | 0.44% | 8.19% | – | 62.54% |
| 2019 | 57.50% | 0.27% | 10.80% | – | 68.57% |
| 2021 | 45.59% | 0.20% | 10.31% | – | 56.10% |
| 2024 | 40.18% | 0.09% | 9.52% | 14.58% | 64.37% |
| 2026 | 30.76% | 0.06% | 6.22% | 9.76% | 46.80% |
Support for the ANC and its breakaway parties in national electsince 1994
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Playing devil’s advocate, I don’t think MKP must be included in the picture, the party is fairly new and never ran the LGE, yes it’s a splinter but it did very well.