But the Democratic Alliance, lead by Mmusi Maimane, took 43 per cent of the vote, compared with the ANC’s 41 per cent. Neither it nor the ANC appeared to have a majority in Johannesburg or Tshwane that would allow it to govern alone, raising the possibility of coalition governments. From the right, the Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s largest opposition party, has seized control of important cities such as Cape Town and Tshwane, appealing to middle-class voters fed up with economic stagnation, official corruption, and poor public services.
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It was a humiliating blow for the ANC as the municipality is officially known as “Nelson Mandela Bay” in tribute to its past as a hotbed of anti-apartheid activism.
Of the 9201 council seats in contention, the African National Congress (ANC) has won 5108 eight seats so far, while the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has won 1702 so far.
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) could resort to populist policies to appease dissatisfied voters after losing significant ground in local elections, ratings agency Fitch said on Friday.
Zuma, jailed on Robben Island with Mandela during apartheid, retains deep loyalty inside the ANC and in many rural areas, although he can not stand for a third term.
Media captionWhat matters to young South African voters?
SOUTH AFRICAN political parties have a fortnight to agree on coalition arrangements in a number of municipalities or submit to fresh elections after final results for last Wednesday’s polls were reported on Saturday.
Voter disenchantment came to a head, with South Africans handing wins to the Democratic Alliance party, which had a white party leader until a year ago.
The ANC has said “we will reflect and introspect where our support has dropped”.
Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after ignoring an order by the Constitutional Court to repay some of the state funds.
“It’s good for our democracy”, Mmusi Maimane, the DA’s first black leader, said.
According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, the ANC has the support of nearly 54 percent of voters, which is its worst result since 1994. He said the idea that his party was a white one has been “completely shattered”.
President Jacob Zuma attended the result announcement at the IEC Results Centre in Pretoria. He said: “The 2019 campaign starts now”. This combined with slipping support for the ANC in townships and rural districts to boost the DA’s share of the vote.
Many South Africans are also concerned over allegations that Mr Zuma is heavily influenced by the Guptas, a wealthy business family of immigrants from India.
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The results also vaulted former ANC youth leader Julius Malema’s leftist Economic Freedom Fighters, or EFF, into third place nationally and as a prospective coalition partner for the ANC and DA in several key cities.
