South Africa municipal elections: ANC at 32%, its worst result
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Africanews and Kassataya
After 80% of ballots in South Africa's municipal elections were counted, the ANC leads with about 31.8% of the vote, its lowest result ever, ahead of the Democratic Alliance on more than 24%. Turnout stands at 54.45%, against 45.86% in 2021, according to Africanews.
The ANC, in power in South Africa since 1994, leads the municipal elections with 31.78% of the vote after 80% of ballots were counted, its lowest score ever, according to the electoral commission. The vote was held on 4 November and partial results were being published on Friday 6 November.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) so far takes 24.22% of the vote, more than in the 2021 municipal elections (21.66%) but less than in 2016 (26.9%). A projection by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a public body, gives the ANC a final score of 31.5%. About 15.9 million of the 29.2 million registered voters voted, a turnout of 54.45%, higher than in 2021 in the midst of the Covid pandemic (45.86%) but lower than in 2016 (57.95%).
In his Cape Town stronghold, mayor and DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis claimed victory as early as Thursday midday: with 57% of ballots counted, he has 61.75% of the vote there, with the CSIR crediting him with 56%. It is the only one of the country's eight largest cities where an absolute majority for one party is emerging. The DA is provisionally ahead in six of these metropolises, including Pretoria and Johannesburg, but will need coalitions to run them. "We have already made contact with many parties over the past twenty-four hours, and we will continue. For now, these exchanges are informal," Geordin Hill-Lewis said on Friday.
The ANC's score is also being watched ahead of the party congress that is due in a year to designate the successor to Cyril Ramaphosa, the current head of state, who cannot stand again.
