The African National Congress (ANC) has lost its majority in the unstable Phokwane Local Municipality in the Northern Cape after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) clinched a seat from the party with the help of its former member and mayor.

In Wednesday's by-elections, former mayor of the municipality Olebogeng Tumodi, who was axed from the ANC, managed to reclaim the ward he previously held, leaving the ANC with less dominance in the council. 

The EFF won the ward by 56%, compared to the ANC's 43%.

Now Phokwane, which is in the Frances Baard region of the province, has no majority government.

Tumodi was expelled from the ANC earlier this year, after the party claimed he hadn't attended crucial meetings.

The municipality has been unstable and there have been concerns that the instability has impacted service delivery. 

Uncertainty is likely to continue if a coalition government is not formed to run the municipality. The EFF has five seats, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has two, the Freedom Front Plus has one, and two smaller political parties have one seat each. 

The ANC has nine seats out of the 19 that are available. The party will have to reach out to the opposition if it wants to govern the area. 

Election data analyst Wayne Sussman said the outcome was a prime opportunity for opposition parties to cobble together an agreement to run the council. 

Eastern Cape

In the Eastern Cape, the ANC also suffered defeat to an independent candidate in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality. 

And in the Cape Winelands, the DA held its majority in Witzenberg municipality.

Although the party holds a slim majority, it managed to fight off opposition parties. It clinched 32% of the vote share with a 50% turnout. 

The DA said on Thursday that the win symbolised the community's faith in the party and its ability to deliver services.