North West now has 11 hung municipalities
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on SABC News
South Africa’s North West province now has 11 hung municipalities after the local elections, while support for the ANC fell below 50%. Residents hope for effective coalitions, but others fear instability, according to SABC News.
In North West, support for the ANC fell below 50% for the first time, while the party lost control of several municipalities, leaving 11 hung councils after the local elections, SABC News reports.
The DA has become the province’s second-largest electoral force and the EFF the third, according to SABC News. In Mahikeng, some residents hope coalitions will promote accountability between parties and improve public services. Others, by contrast, fear instability in councils, conflicts between parties and attempts at sabotage.
The ANC’s decline in North West comes after local elections that also reduced its control over several major South African cities, according to results published on 7 November 2026. Coalition negotiations are continuing, including as MK negotiates a coalition with the ANC in eThekwini and the South African DA launches municipal coalition negotiations.
