In our 2021 Local Government Elections Manifesto, as we emerged from the shadow of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the ANC committed to doing and being better: delivering services more reliably, building safer and healthier communities, stimulating local economies, strengthening accountability, rooting out corruption and remaining accessible to our people. Five years later, we account for that commitment.

The 2021 election marked a shift in the ANC’s electoral position. Our national municipal vote declined from 53.9% in 2016 to 45.59% in 2021, and the number of hung councils rose from 27 to 66.

In the metros, we retained outright majorities only in Buffalo City and Mangaung, with the remaining six governed under opposition, coalition or minority arrangements. The ANC remained the largest party overall, retaining outright majorities in 161 of the 213 directly contested metro and local municipalities.

Report by the ANC