2021 South African municipal elections

8:00 – Special voting begins for the over 1.1 million individuals registered.[11]

In Ward 93, Kusakusa Primary School, in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, the IEC allegedly caught individuals committing electoral fraud. An investigation is currently underway regarding the matter.[12]

8:00 – Elections begin nationwide.

12:00 – A voting station in KwaZulu-Natal is set on fire.[13]

13:00 – A Journalist is arrested and later released following a squabble at a voting station in Soweto.[14]

14:00 – Protests break out in Soweto as President Cyril Ramaphosa makes his way to Chiawelo to cast his ballot.[15]

15:00 – The IEC warns and advises individuals on taking pictures inside voting booths, due to time constraints.[16]

15:30 – Residents dig trenches to bar IEC officials from entering a voting station in the Eastern Cape.[17]

19:00 – Helen Zille is forcibly removed from a voting station in Bethelsdorp.[18]

21:00 – Voting polls close.

The 2016 municipal elections resulted in many hung councils across South Africa. The ANC lost its council majority in four metropolitan municipalities – Tshwane, Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay, City of Ekurhuleni. This consequently created an opportunity for opposition parties to form coalitions to achieve the mayoralties of these key municipalities. The EFF was essentially seen as the kingmaker and voted with the DA to install DA mayors in three out of the four metros and also in smaller local municipalities.[51][52][53] The ANC managed to hold on to the City of Ekurhuleni through a coalition with smaller parties, and later won back the City of Johannesburg.[54][55]

Eventually, through motions of no-confidence, the ANC managed to regain control of a select few municipalities. Even though an ANC-sponsored motion of no confidence removed the DA administration in Nelson Mandela Bay, the ANC voted for a United Democratic Movement (UDM) mayor.[56][57]

In July 2019, the EFF announced that it would no longer support the DA or ANC in minority councils.[58] The party made this announcement after the DA rejected their offer for co-governance in the Johannesburg and Tshwane metropolitan municipalities.[59] The EFF sought the Tshwane mayoralty and MMCs in the Johannesburg Mayoral Committee and the DA declined the EFF's proposal, stating that they would rather prefer that the status quo remain.[60][61]

The ANC pledged select and appoint better local representatives who are "committed to service delivery" and to "deliver services promptly and consistently."[63] This included a commitment to implement lifestyle audits and signed performance contracts.[62] The party also promised to minimize the impact of the South African energy crisis by stabilising the state energy provider's, Eskom, financial stability and increase the use of renewable energy.[62]

The DA drew attention to their own track record of municipal management in comparison to the ANC's troubled record of local governance as a reason to vote for them.[62][64] DA run municipalities such as Cape Town and George were given by the party as examples where they had to use their position in government to work to minimize the impact of the South African energy crisis on a local level, maintain infrastructure, and provide affordable mass transportation services.[65]

The EFF promised to implement a property wealth tax to subsidise indigent families, a land audit to help reduce land hunger, and expanded use renewable energy and localised waste water recycling.[62] The IFP promised to provide an alternative to what they described as the "ANC's failure to govern"[66] by requiring IFP representatives individually pledge to govern with integrity.[67] The GOOD party pledged to increase municipal investment in informal settlements, support higher density housing, reduce property speculation, abolish e-tolls, and encourage municipalities to increase their use of renewable energy.[62] ActionSA promised equitable rates and free basic services for indigent households whilst cutting unnecessary costs in local government, reducing illegal electrical connections, and keeping public spaces clean.[62] The Freedom Front Plus promised to end Affirmative Action in municipalities and to do an audit on all municipal employees' qualifications to ensure that they are qualified for their jobs. Party leader Pieter Groenewald said that all appointments should be made on merit. The party advocated for the decentralisation of municipalities, as Groenewald alleged that the amalgamation of municipalities had weakened service delivery.[68][69]

The ANC stated that they would "spare no effort in rooting out corruption" and committed to implement the Anti-corruption Strategy under the Justice and Crime Prevention Cluster, SARS Anti-Corruption Unit.[63] The DA promised to eliminate corruption by adopting and applying "best practice in good governance,"[65] end the practice of cadre deployment, and appoint professional government officials; the party also highlighted the relatively high number of clean audits DA-run municipalities have received in the Western Cape.[65] The EFF has proposed setting up corruption hotlines and compensating whistleblowers.[62] The IFP promised to reduce corruption by establishing a specialised corruption court.[66] GOOD party also promised to end cadre deployment and prosecute corrupt politicians.[62] ActionSA promised to appoint ethical public officials, introduce lifestyle audits and minimum turnaround times on service delivery issues.[62]

Political parties debated and campaigned on the issue of decentralising power away from the national government towards local authorities, this is most pronounced in the Western Cape province.[70] The DA wants policing, electricity generation,[71] taxation[72] and rail control[73] decentralised to the province, on the other hand the ANC wants to centralise what control local authorities have over policing to national government.[74] Other parties such as the FF+,[75] Cape Coloured Congress and Cape Independence Party (CIP) explicitly campaigned on a tickets of outright independence for the Western Cape province.[76] The DA has stated it supports the right to hold a referendum to Western Cape independence but does not support independence itself.[77] Parties opposed to this call include the ANC, EFF,[78] Al-Jam-ah[79] and GOOD.[77]

The ANC promised to reduce youth unemployment and increase educational opportunities[63] whilst strengthening social security for vulnerable groups and expanding mass employment programs.[62] The DA stated that they would encourage economic growth in DA run municipalities by increasing the ease of doing business in them and reducing excessive bureaucracy.[65] The EFF pledged to setup municipal level special economic zones to encourage economic growth, support street vendors and black-owned farms.[62] The IFP committed to delivering jobs and enhance food security.[66] GOOD promised to provide policy certainty for investors whilst reducing excessive bureaucracy for businesses.[62] ActionSA promised to repeal restrictive legislation, support youth employment, and implement a property audit to identify and reuse abandoned or stolen buildings.[62] The FF Plus promised to provide land in industrial areas to people who want to start businesses, free of charge and that local businesses must be preferred when it came to tenders.[68]

The ANC repeated previous election commitments to fight gender based violence, reduce drug abuse and focus on crime reduction in high crime urban areas.[63] The DA promised to reduce crime by expanding investment in localised law enforcement in DA run municipalities whilst focusing on the causes of crime.[65] The IFP committed to working with traditional leaders to provide better security to communities.[66]

The African National Congress in the Western Cape announced after the 2019 election results were released, that the results were a platform for the party to retake control of the City of Cape Town. The ANC lost control of the metropolitan municipality in 2006. The results also showed that smaller political parties had made inroads in the city's suburbs and communities.[81] Notable issues campaigned on in the Cape Town mayoral election was the provision of public housing, public safety, and local solutions to the South African energy crisis.[82]

The Democratic Alliance's support in the city dropped. In the national election, the party declined with six percentage points, obtaining only 53%, compared to 59% in the 2014 elections. The party's support decreased from the 67% it had achieved in the 2016 municipal elections to only 56% in the provincial election.[83]

The newly established political party Good, led by former DA mayor Patricia de Lille, and the Economic Freedom Fighters both earned some support in the city.[84][85]

In April 2021, the DA announced that current mayor Dan Plato, Western Cape provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela, and shadow finance minister Geordin Hill-Lewis had applied to be the party's mayoral candidate. Madikizela later resigned as provincial leader and from all active party roles and dropped out of the selection process, following a scandal over his qualifications. Hill-Lewis was considered the front-runner for the position.[86] On 23 August 2021, DA leader John Steenhuisen announced Hill-Lewis as the party's candidate for mayor.[87]

On 22 August 2021, Good Secretary-General and Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, Brett Herron, was announced as the party's mayoral candidate for the metro.[88]

The VF Plus nominated former ID, DA and ANC member Lennit Max as its candidate for mayor.[89] Community activist Marvin Sampson from Mitchells Plain was the Patriotic Alliance's mayoral candidate.[90]

Former Capetonian spokesperson and current Cape Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams also ran for mayor, while the Spectrum National Party selected Christopher Claassen as the party's mayoral candidate for the city.[91]

In the 2019 general elections, the African National Congress declined in the metropolitan municipality, centred around Durban. In the provincial election, the ANC's support decreased by 11 percentage points compared to 2014 results, and 10 percentage points in the national election. The DA's support in the city remained relatively stable. The decline of the ANC can be attributed to the strong showing of the EFF and the resurgence of the Inkatha Freedom Party.[92][93] Controversial ANC mayor Zandile Gumede resigned as mayor in 2019 and was replaced with Mxolisi Kaunda.[94] Makhosi Khoza stood as the ActionSA candidate for mayor.[95]

Following the general elections in 2014, the DA received more votes than the then-ruling ANC in the municipality. Analysts at the time suggested that the ANC would lose its majority in 2016.[96]

The Democratic Alliance achieved a plurality of votes in the metropolitan municipality in the 2016 municipal elections. The party formed a coalition with smaller parties that were supported by the EFF. DA Gauteng Provincial Legislature Member Solly Msimanga was elected mayor. Msimanga resigned in February 2019 and was succeeded by DA Member of Parliament Stevens Mokgalapa.[96] In the 2019 elections, the party had a dismal showing and only received 29.52% of the provincial vote in the municipality, even though former mayor Msimanga was the party's premier candidate. The party's support was even lower on the national vote. The ANC regained lost ground, while the EFF made gains.[96] Following the elections, the EFF proposed that the party should co-govern with the DA in the Johannesburg and Tshwane metropolitan municipalities. The DA rejected the EFF's proposal, which led to the EFF withdrawing its support from the DA in all minority councils.[97]

Mokgalapa was removed as mayor via a motion of no-confidence on 5 December 2019, but the Gauteng High Court later suspended his removal.[98][99] However, he announced his resignation as mayor in February 2020.[100] The DA had selected former MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning Randall Williams as its preferred mayoral candidate for the city.[101] On 5 March 2020, the Tshwane Metro Municipality was placed under administration by the Gauteng Provincial Government and the council was consequently dissolved. A new council was supposed to be elected.[102] The DA took the matter to court. On 29 April 2020, the North Gauteng High Court overturned the decision by the provincial government.[103] On 7 May, the ANC lodged an appeal against the judgement.[104] After months of legal challenges, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the provincial government's decision on 27 October 2020.[105] Soon after, the DA's Randall Williams was elected mayor.[106] Williams was up against MMC for shared services Sylvester Phokoje for the DA's mayoral candidate position.[86] On 23 August 2021, Williams was announced as the DA's mayoral candidate for the metro in the 2021 local government elections.[107]

Also contesting the mayoralty were Sarah Mabotsa of the Good party and Abel Tau of ActionSA.[108]

The ANC lost control of the City of Johannesburg in 2016,[109] and the Democratic Alliance's mayoral candidate Herman Mashaba assumed the mayoralty. He held the position until he stepped down in 2019.[110] The election for the mayor was held on 4 December 2019.[111] The DA nominated Finance MMC Funzela Ngobeni to succeed Mashaba, while the ANC nominated its regional chair Geoff Makhubo.[112][113] The EFF designated Musa Novela as its candidate.[114] Makhubo won the election, marking the return of the ANC to the city's executive since its removal in 2016.[115]

Mashaba subsequently announced that he would be running for mayor again under the banner of his new party, ActionSA.[116] Makhubo died on 9 July 2021 and Eunice Mgcina was appointed acting mayor.[117] Former Finance MMC Jolidee Matongo was elected mayor on 10 August 2021. The city lost its mayor for a second time in short sequence, when Matongo was involved in a fatal car accident on 18 September.[118]

DA caucus leader Leah Knott and former MMC for Social Development Dr Mpho Phalatse applied to be the DA's mayoral candidate for the city.[86] On 23 August 2021, Phalatse was announced as the DA's mayoral candidate.[119] Lloyd Phillips was the Good party candidate for mayor.[108]

After the 2016 elections, the DA was the largest party in this previously ANC-controlled metro, but without a majority. Athol Trollip of the DA was elected mayor with the support of smaller parties. He remained in office until he was narrowly voted out in 2018, after a vote of no confidence. ANC and other parties then elected Mongameli Bobani of the United Democratic Movement as the new mayor. He was, in turn, removed in December 2019 by an overwhelming majority through a vote supported by almost all parties in the council.

After a long period with interim leadership, Nqaba Bhanga of the DA was elected mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay in December 2020. He has been nominated by the DA as the party's mayoral candidate for the metro municipality in the 2021 local government elections.[120]

On 13 September, Good announced Lawrence Troon as their candidate for mayor.[108]

Party		Ward		PR		Ward + PR		DC		Total		change
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	% 2016	% Change
	ANC	5,291,101	45.06 %	5,402,792	46.12 %	10,693,893	45.59 %	3,838,015	53.84 %	14,531,908	47.52 %	55.65%	8.13%
	Democratic Alliance	2,527,862	21.53 %	2,543,764	21.72 %	5,071,626	21.62 %	995,803	13.97 %	6,067,429	19.84 %	24.57%	4.73%
	EFF	1,193,985	10.17 %	1,225,445	10.46 %	2,419,430	10.32 %	804,398	11.28 %	3,223,828	10.54 %	8.31%	2.23%
	IFP	638,963	5.44 %	685,942	5.86 %	1,324,905	5.65 %	591,265	8.29 %	1,916,170	6.27 %	4.73%	1.54%
	FF Plus	276,136	2.35 %	273,213	2.33 %	549,349	2.34 %	161,056	2.26 %	710,405	2.32 %	0.80%	1.50%
	ActionSA	241,735	2.06%	306,127	2.61%	547,862	2.34%	8,816	0.12%	556,678	1.82%	–	1.82%
	Patriotic Alliance	111,811	0.95 %	114,736	0.98 %	226,547	0.97 %	38,401	0.54 %	264,948	0.87 %	0.06 %	0.81%
	ACDP	92,232	0.79%	93,161	0.80%	185,393	0.79%	32,234	0.45%	217,627	0.71%	0.39%	0.32%
	ATM	63,531	0.54 %	70,874	0.61 %	134,405	0.57 %	55,509	0.78 %	189,914	0.62 %	–	0.62%
	Good	75,937	0.65 %	74,144	0.63 %	150,081	0.64 %	35,186	0.49 %	185,267	0.61 %	–	0.61%
	NFP	56,950	0.49 %	61,074	0.52 %	118,024	0.50 %	52,592	0.74 %	170,616	0.56 %	0.01 %	0.55% [lower-alpha 2]
	UDM	50,902	0.43 %	60,303	0.51 %	111,205	0.47 %	46,508	0.65 %	157,713	0.52 %	0.62%	0.10%
	AIC	42,426	0.36%	72,972	0.62%	115,398	0.49%	31,244	0.44%	146,642	0.48%	0.87%	0.39%
	Forum for Service Delivery	23,585	0.20 %	29,573	0.25 %	53,158	0.23 %	28,798	0.40 %	81,956	0.27 %	0.23%	0.04%
	PAC	24,021	0.20 %	32,302	0.28 %	56,323	0.24 %	12,613	0.18 %	68,936	0.23 %	0.19%	0.04%
	MAP16 Civic Movement	22,970	0.20 %	22,627	0.19 %	45,597	0.19 %	22,905	0.32 %	68,502	0.22 %	–	0.22%
	COPE	21,012	0.18 %	26,497	0.23 %	47,509	0.20 %	15,047	0.21 %	62,556	0.20 %	0.48%	0.28%
	Al Jama-ah	29,393	0.25 %	25,914	0.22 %	55,307	0.24 %	5,882	0.08 %	61,189	0.20%	0.10%	0.10%
	African People's Convention	23,416	0.20 %	21,270	0.18 %	44,686	0.19 %	14,294	0.20 %	58,980	0.19 %	0.22%	0.03%
	Independent South African National Civic Organisation	12,164	0.10 %	17,060	0.15 %	29,224	0.12 %	17,556	0.25 %	46,780	0.15 %	–	0.15%
	African People's Movement	14,028	0.12 %	13,317	0.11 %	27,345	0.12 %	12,661	0.18 %	40,006	0.13 %	–	0.13%
	Defenders of the People (South Africa)	13,976	0.12 %	13,542	0.12 %	27,518	0.12 %	4,176	0.06 %	31,694	0.10 %	–	0.10%
	United Independent Movement	14,315	0.12 %	13,542	0.12 %	30,405	0.13 %	1,038	0.01 %	31,443	0.10 %	–	0.10%
	Independent Civic Organisation	10,600	0.09 %	10,673	0.09 %	21,273	0.09 %	9,775	0.14 %	31,048	0.10 %	0.11%	0.01%
	Tsogang Civic Movement	9,095	0.08 %	9,842	0.08 %	18,937	0.08 %	9,677	0.14 %	28,614	0.09 %	–	0.09%
	Team Sugar South Africa	8,896	0.08 %	9,365	0.08 %	18,261	0.08 %	9,461	0.13 %	27,722	0.09 %	–	0.09%
	United Christian Democratic Party	7,862	0.07 %	10,885	0.09 %	18,747	0.08 %	7,636	0.11 %	26,383	0.09 %	0.07%	0.02%
	Africa Restoration Alliance	12,777	0.11 %	9,999	0.09%	22,776	0.10 %	3,264	0.05%	26,040	0.09 %	–	0.09%
	Justice and Employment Party	7,703	0.07 %	9,634	0.08 %	17,337	0.07 %	7,906	0.11 %	25,243	0.08 %	–	0.08%
	Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners	6,631	0.06 %	6,486	0.06 %	13,117	0.06 %	6,446	0.09 %	19,563	0.06 %	0.02 %	0.04%
	Azanian People's Organisation	6,720	0.06%	6,853	0.06%	13,573	0.06%	4,171	0.06%	17,744	0.06%	0.07%	0.01%
	Independent Alliance (South Africa)	6,571	0.06 %	6,545	0.06 %	13,116	0.06 %	5,891	0.08 %	19,007	0.06 %	–	0.06%
	Cape Independence Party	7,616	0.06 %	7,448	0.06 %	15,064	0.06 %	2,817	0.04 %	17,881	0.06 %	–	0.06%
	Setsoto Service Delivery Forum	5,597	0.06 %	5,542	0.06 %	11,139	0.05 %	5,605	0.08 %	16,744	0.05 %	–	0.05%
	Namakwa Civic Movement	4,909	0.04 %	5,159	0.04 %	10,068	0.04 %	5,093	0.07 %	15,161	0.05 %	–	0.05 %
	Independent	405,847	3.46 %	N/A		405,847	1.73 %	N/A		405,847	1.33 %	0.89%	0.44%
Total[126]		11,741,055	100 %	11,714,127	100 %	23,455,182	100 %	7,128,139	100 %	30,583,321	100 %	38,524,059	7,940,738

• PR = Proportional Representation
• DC = District Council

Map showing the party holding the largest number of seats in each municipality. A darker colour indicates an absolute majority, while a lighter colour indicates a plurality. Diagonal stripes indicate that two parties are tied for the lead.

  ANC majority

  ANC plurality

  DA majority

  DA plurality

  IFP majority

  IFP plurality

  NFP plurality

  ICOSA plurality

The statistics in this section are all sourced from the Independent Electoral Commission's official website unless specified otherwise. Prior control statistics from news sources.[127][128]

Metropolitan Municipalities

Party		Type of Control	Prior	New Control	Change
	African National Congress	ANC majority	3	2	1
		ANC coalition	2	2	0
		Total	5	4	1
	Democratic Alliance	DA majority	1	1	0
		DA coalition	1	2	1
		DA minority	1	1	0
		Total	3	4	1

District Municipalities

Party		Type of Control	Prior	New Control	Change
	African National Congress	ANC majority	37	26	11
		ANC coalition	1	3	2
		ANC minority	1	2	1
		Total	39	31	8
	Democratic Alliance	DA majority	4	3	1
		DA coalition	0	1	1
		DA minority	0	2	1
		Total	4	6	2
	Inkatha Freedom Party	IFP majority	0	1	1
		IFP coalition	0	1	1
		IFP minority	2	3	1
		Total	2	5	3
	Economic Freedom Fighters	EFF minority	0	1	1
		Total	0	1	1

Local Municipalities

Party		Control	Prior	New Control	Change
	African National Congress	ANC majority	159	120	39
		ANC coalition	13	9	4
		ANC minority	1	15	14
		Total	173	141	29
	Democratic Alliance	DA majority	16	11	5
		DA coalition	2	8	6
		DA minority	2	6	4
		Total	20	25	5
	Inkatha Freedom Party	IFP majority	6	9	3
		IFP coalition	0	3	3
		IFP minority	5	12	7
		Total	11	24	13
	Economic Freedom Fighters	EFF minority	0	1	1
		Total	0	1	1
	National Freedom Party	NFP coalition	0	1	1
		Total	0	1	1
	Minor Parties	Cederberg First Residents Association coalition	0	1	1
		ICOSA coalition	1	0	1
		Namakwa Civic Movement coalition	0	1	1
		Siyathemba Community Movement	0	1	1
		MAPSixteen Civic Movement minority	0	1	1
		Lekwa Community Forum minority	0	1	1
		Independent minority	0	1	1
		Kareeberg Civic Movement	0	1	1
		Total	1	7	6

In the following table, green rows indicate those won by the ANC with a majority, blue rows indicate municipalities won by the DA with a majority, and light blue rows indicate a DA minority, light green cells indicate municipalities won by the ANC with Minorities or coalitions.

The ANC held onto overall control of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. In Nelson Mandela Bay ANC regained control through a coalition with minor parties.

The ANC held onto overall control of 5 District Municipalities. ANC maintained control of Sarah Baartman District Municipality through minority administration. The ANC held onto overall control of 28 Local Municipalities and minority control over 1. The DA held onto overall control of 1 local municipality and coalition of a second one.

In the following table, green cells indicate those municipalities won by the ANC with majorities, light green cells indicate municipalities won by the ANC with minorities or coalitions. Light blue cells indicate those won by the DA with a minority or coalition. Grey cells indicate those won by a minority party with a minority or coalition.

The ANC maintained overall control in Manguang.

The ANC maintains overall control in one district municipality. The DA has a minority control in one district municipality. Two District municipalities are unknown. The ANC maintained overall control in 14 local municipalities, coalition in one, and minority in one. In one local municipality the DA has minority control. In one local municipality a minority party leads a coalition.

In the following table, green cells indicate those municipalities won by the ANC with Majorities, light green cells indicate municipalities won by the ANC with Minorities or coalitions. blue cells indicate municipalities won by the DA with a majority, light blue cells indicate those won by the DA with a minority or coalition.

No parties were able to receive full control in any of the 3 metropolitan municipalities, the DA leads in all three. In two municipalities, Tshwane and Johannesburg, the DA governs with coalitions. In one municipality, Ekurhuleni, the DA governs with a minority.

The ANC has a minority control over on District Municipality, the other municipality led by the DA. The DA was able to maintain overall control over 1 local municipality, and gain control through a minority in another one. The ANC was able to maintain control in 4 local municipalities through minorities.

In the following table, green rows indicate those won by the ANC with a majority, light green rows indicate those won by the ANC with a minority or coalition, red rows indicate those won by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) with a majority, and pink rows indicate lead by an IFP minority or coalition. Blue cells indicate municipalities won by the DA with a majority. Yellow rows indicate those won by the National Freedom Party (NFP).

ANC maintained control of eThekwini through a coalition government.

The ANC has control over 5 District Municipalities with majorities. The IFP has control over 1 District Municipality with a coalition and 4 District municipalities with minorities. The ANC was able to receive overall control in 13 Local Municipalities, has control over 1 municipality through a coalition and 4 municipalities through minorities. The IFP was able to receive overall control in 8 Local Municipalities, has control over 3 municipalities through coalition and 12 municipalities through minorities. The DA was able to receive overall control in 1 municipality.

In the following table, green cells indicate those municipalities won by the ANC with Majorities. Light blue cells indicate those won by the DA with a minority or coalition.

Two Tier Municipalities

The ANC was able to receive overall control in all 5 District Municipalities. The ANC was able to receive overall control in 20 Local Municipalities. In 2 Local Municipalities DA has minority control.

In the following table, green rows indicate those won by the ANC. Light green rows indicate those led by a Minority ANC government. Gray rows indicate those led by Minor Party with a coalition or minority.

Two Tier Municipalities

The ANC won overall control in all 3 District Municipalities. In 13 Local Municipalities ANC has total control, in 2 Local Municipalities ANC has minority control. In 2 Local Municipalities minor parties or Independents have control.

In the following table, green rows indicate those won by the ANC majority, and light green cells indicate municipalities led by an ANC coalition or minority. Light blue rows indicate municipalities won led by a DA coalition or minority. Light red rows indicate municipalities won led by an EFF coalition or minority. Light grey rows indicate municipalities won led by a Minor Party coalition or minority.

Two Tier Municipalities

The ANC has overall control in 4 District Municipality and governs in 1 District Municipality with a coalition. The ANC won overall control of 16 Local Municipalities, in 2 Local Municipalities ANC governs with a coalition, in 2 Local Municipalities ANC governs with a minority. The EFF governs in one local municipality, which has been put into doubt. In 3 local municipalities are governed by minor parties.

In the following table, green rows indicate those won by the ANC, and light green rows indicate those with an ANC minority or coalition. Light red cells indicate those won by EFF with a minority or coalition.

The municipal boundaries are determined by the Organised Local Government Act, 1997 (Act 52 of 1997).[203]

Two Tier Municipalities

The ANC won overall control in 3 District Municipalities, and the EFF governs one District Municipality with a minority. The ANC won overall control in 15 Local Municipalities. The ANC governs with a minority in 3 Local Municipalities and with a coalition in 1 Local Municipality.

In the following table, green cells indicate those municipalities won by the ANC with Majorities, light green cells indicate municipalities won by the ANC with Minorities or coalitions. blue cells indicate municipalities won by the DA with a majority, light blue cells indicate those won by the DA with a minority or coalition. light grey cells indicate those won by the Minor Party with a minority or coalition.

The DA maintained overall control of the City of Cape Town.

The DA was able to maintain overall control of 3 District municipalities and governs another with a coalition. The ANC governs one District Municipality with a coalition.

The DA was able to maintain overall control of 8 Local municipalities, the DA governs 7 Local Municipalities with coalitions and 2 Local Municipalities with minorities. The ANC governs 3 Local Municipalities with coalitions and 1 Local Municipalities with minorities. The ANC lost more power in the province than previously in 2016. One Local Municipality is governed by a minor party.

As of 7 November there were still 70 hung councils.[226] Following meetings with other political parties on 6 November, the ANC announced that treasurer-general Paul Mashatile and deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte would lead coalition negotiations with other political parties.[227][228] During a public address in Soweto on 8 November, President Ramaphosa announced that the ANC would not enter coalitions unconditionally.[229]

On 7 November, the DA announced that it would not enter coalitions with the ANC or EFF, but may partner with ActionSA and Freedom Front Plus.[230]

The GOOD party announced that it will not enter coalitions, rather serving as "constructive opposition".[231]

As of 9 November, ActionSA were negotiating a possible coalition with the DA in Tshwane. It had also received written demands from the EFF, which they refused.[232]

On 13 November, Malema proposed that coalitions should be avoided in the major metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng. He suggested that the EFF should run Tshwane, leaving the ANC to govern Ekurhuleni and ActionSA to govern Johannesburg.[233]

On 15 November, the Patriotic Alliance announced a coalition agreement with the ANC. The PA will have their own mayors, deputy mayors and several mayoral committee members.[234]

On 16 November, EFF Leader Julius Malema announced that the party had terminated coalition discussions with the ANC.[235]

On 17 November, IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa announced that it had entered into a coalition agreement with the ANC in the 21 hung councils in KwaZulu-Natal, despite previously saying a week earlier that the party would not form coalitions with the ANC.[236]