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Newsbrief

ANC loses its majority in Makana municipality

Published

Preliminary results show the ANC won 10 of the 25 council seats in Makana in the Eastern Cape, three short of the 13 it needed to govern alone. The result opens the way for coalition talks.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) came second in Makana Local Municipality with six seats. The Makana United Civic Movement, a newcomer party, won four seats. The figures are preliminary.

Makana includes Makhanda. Resident Kwanda Zenani said she hopes the new administration will focus on services and on the cleanliness of the water.

Key facts

Who
Kwanda Zenani (Makhanda resident); African National Congress (party that lost its outright majority in Makana); Democratic Alliance (party that came second in Makana with six seats); Makana United Civic Movement (newcomer party that won four seats in Makana)
What
Preliminary results show the ANC secured 10 of Makana's 25 council seats, short of the 13 needed to govern alone, with the DA second on six seats and Makana United Civic Movement on four, paving the way for coalition negotiations.
When
5 November 2026
Where
Makana Local Municipality, Eastern Cape, Makhanda
Status
Reported

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With 21% of votes counted nationally in the local government elections, the ANC has 1.34 million votes and the DA has 1.27 million. The CSIR projects the ANC at around 31.7% and the DA at 25.8% nationally, based on 13% of voting districts declared.

The IEC said 18 municipalities had finished the results process by 9am on Thursday, against seven at the same point in 2021. Early local results point to coalition talks, with the ANC winning 10 of 25 seats in Makana, and the MK Party leading early in KwaZulu-Natal.

The IEC handles more than 800 complaints, about 106 still open, and cannot declare final results before 5pm on Friday.

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