South Africa votes in its municipalities
South Africa elects the councils of its 257 municipalities on 4 November 2026, including the eight metros, in the first local vote since the ANC lost its national majority in 2024 and began governing with the DA and eight other parties in the Government of National Unity. It is also the first municipal election contested by Jacob Zuma's MK party, which came third in the 2024 general election. In 2021 no party won a majority in five of the eight metros, and several of those cities have changed mayor more than once since. Polls published since August show the ANC and the DA close in the national aggregate, MK ahead in eThekwini and tight races in other metros.
National vote in the polls
Independent polls since August, latest first; below, the 2021 proportional ballot and the 2024 general election for reference. The DA's three internal polls are left out. * figures checked only in reproductions, because the source is paywalled.
| Pollster | Fieldwork | EFF | MK | ANC | IFP | ActionSA | DA | FF+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipsos | 12/09–13/10 | 10% | 12% | 30% | 4% | 4% | 28% | – |
| Social Research Foundation | 18/09–12/10 | 8% | 12% | 32% | – | – | 26% | – |
| SABI Strategy (News24)* | 25/08–17/09 | 12% | 15% | 32% | – | – | 25% | – |
| 2021, proportional ballot | 1/11/2021 | 10.5% | – | 46.1% | 5.8% | 2.6% | 21.8% | 2.3% |
| 2024, general election | 29/05/2024 | 9.5% | 14.6% | 40.2% | 3.9% | 1.2% | 21.8% | 1.4% |
The eight metros
Who governs today and the top two in 2021 (wards plus list, the sum that sets the seats). In 2021, five of the eight metros had no majority, and several have changed mayors more than once since.
| Metro | Mayor today | 2021: top two | Latest independent poll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg | Dada Morero (ANC) | ANC 33.6% · DA 26.1% | Ipsos: DA 30% · ANC 27% · EFF 12% |
| Tshwane | Nasiphi Moya (ActionSA) | ANC 34.6% · DA 32.0% | Ipsos: DA 34% · ANC 31% · EFF 8% |
| Ekurhuleni | Nkosindiphile Xhakaza (ANC) | ANC 38.2% · DA 28.7% | MarkData: DA 31.2% · ANC 29.4% · MK 11.5% |
| Cape Town | Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA) | DA 58.3% · ANC 18.6% | Ipsos: DA 51% · ANC 21% · EFF 10% |
| eThekwini | Cyril Xaba (ANC) | ANC 42.1% · DA 25.9% | Ipsos: MK 47% · DA 21% · ANC 10% |
| Nelson Mandela Bay | Babalwa Lobishe (ANC) | DA 39.9% · ANC 39.4% | MarkData: DA 37.7% · ANC 37.4% · EFF 8% |
| Buffalo City | Princess Faku (ANC) | ANC 59.4% · DA 19.5% | – |
| Mangaung | Gregory Nthatisi (ANC) | ANC 50.6% · DA 25.7% | – |
How it works
In the 8 metros each voter gets two ballots: one for the ward councillor, elected by simple plurality, and a proportional (PR) ballot for a party; in the 205 local municipalities there is a third PR ballot that elects 40% of the district council. Half of each metro or local council is elected in wards and half from lists, but each party's overall total comes from the sum of its votes on both ballots (ward + PR), divided by a quota with largest remainders, and list seats top up what is left after the wards the party won are deducted. That is why the share that drives seat allocation is the combined ward + PR share. When no party holds more than half the seats, the council elects the executive mayor, which requires a coalition or a support agreement.
Results
Polls close at 9 PM on Wednesday, Nov 4, in South Africa: 2 PM in Washington, DC. Votes are counted at each voting station, and the Electoral Commission (IEC) publishes results on its dashboard as they come in. The law allows up to 7 days for the final announcement; in 2021 it came after 3.
Data checked on 03/11/2026. Dates, scale, rules and 2021 and 2024 results: Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Polls: each pollster, linked in the dataset. Municipal governments: South African press.