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Ramaphosa says ANC will win Johannesburg outright

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa made the claim on Sunday while campaigning door to door in Diepkloof, Soweto, ahead of the 4 November local elections. Residents told him about dry taps and unemployment.

Ramaphosa said the ANC would regain an outright majority in the City of Johannesburg. He said: "We are going to get an outright majority in the metro. That is a given. It’s going to happen." Asked whether the vote would reverse the party's falling support, he replied: "Wait and see".

The ANC won 62% of the vote in the city in 2006, its highest share there. It fell to 58% in 2011 and 44% in 2016, when it lost its outright majority for the first time. In 2021 it won 33%. A Social Research Foundation poll suggests support could fall to 18%.

Most residents complained that taps ran dry for days. ANC regional chairperson and deputy mayor Loyiso Masuku said Johannesburg Water was coming back at 2 pm. He said pressure on the reservoir caused water throttling.

The local councillor said Diepkloof now has more than 38,000 people. Its infrastructure was originally designed for 6,800.

Key facts

Who
Cyril Ramaphosa (ANC party president); Loyiso Masuku (ANC regional chairperson and deputy mayor); Social Research Foundation (pollster that suggests ANC support in Johannesburg could dwindle to 18%)
What
Ramaphosa expressed confidence that the ANC will regain an outright majority in the City of Johannesburg, despite its declining support in past municipal elections. Residents in Diepkloof raised water supply problems and unemployment with him during the campaign walk.
When
25 October 2026
Where
Diepkloof, Soweto, Johannesburg
Status
Reported

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