ANC Begins Coalition Talks With EFF After Winning 30.89% in 2026 Local Government Elections

• ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula confirmed the party has opened coalition negotiations following the 2026 Local Government Elections
• The ANC’s national negotiating team met with the EFF on Friday, with Mbalula describing the engagement as productive
• The EFF laid out firm conditions for any coalition arrangement, calling on the ANC to prioritise disadvantaged South African communities

SOUTH AFRICA — ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula confirmed on Friday that the party has formally entered coalition negotiations following the 2026 Local Government Elections, with talks already under way with multiple political formations, including the Economic Freedom Fighters.

The ANC secured 30.89% of the national vote, down from 45.59% in 2021. Despite remaining the country’s largest party, the result leaves 127 municipalities hung, with no single party holding an outright majority. This forces the ANC to seek governing arrangements before councils can be constituted.

ANC mandated to engage all parties

According to Power FM, Mbalula stated that the ANC’s mandate extends to engaging all political parties, civic movements, and independent candidates. He said talks are being guided by the party’s coalition framework and that several formations have already approached the ANC expressing interest in working together.

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After the ANC’s national negotiating team met with the EFF on Friday, Mbalula described the session as productive and confirmed that both teams have agreed to reconvene for further discussions.

EFF sets conditions for coalition

The EFF entered the negotiations with a clear set of demands. The party called on the ANC to prioritise disadvantaged communities and to reject any deal it believes would legitimise what it describes as enemies of progress.

The EFF specifically referenced conditions in Soweto, Gugulethu, and Khayelitsha, citing persistent inequality and poor service delivery in those areas. The party argued that the needs of these communities must drive the negotiations rather than any motivation to consolidate political power. It emphasised that the outcome of these talks will shape local governance across all 127 hung municipalities.

The coalition process is expected to continue in the coming days as the ANC works through engagements with other parties and formations ahead of the formal constitution of municipal councils.

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View Mbalula’s post about meeting the EFF on X:

Leftist parties refuse to back ANC-DA coalition

In a related article, Briefly News reported on the Conference of the Left’s conditions for cooperation with the ANC after South Africa’s 2026 local government elections. The bloc, which includes the MK Party, EFF and SACP, has ruled out backing ANC coalitions with the DA.

With 127 municipalities lacking an outright winner, coalition talks face a 14-day deadline under the Municipal Structures Act. The left-wing bloc says it will consider working with the ANC only if the DA and Freedom Front Plus leave the Government of National Unity.

Source: Briefly News