ANC Loses Majority in Buffalo City for First Time as UDM Rises to Second Place
Published
The African National Congress (ANC) has lost its majority in Buffalo City for the first time, according to results from South Africa's 2026 local government elections. The ANC won 42.0% of the vote in the Eastern Cape metropolitan municipality, which includes East London.
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) finished in second place, moving up from its previous position. The result means that no single party now controls a majority on the council, so parties will need to form coalitions to govern the city. This is a significant change for a municipality that the ANC has governed for many years.
Local government elections decide who runs municipal services such as water, electricity, roads and waste collection. Residents in Buffalo City will be watching closely to see how the new coalition government handles these services in the coming months. Political analysts say that coalition talks can take time, and the final arrangement may depend on negotiations between smaller parties.
The results show that voters in the city are choosing from a wider range of parties than before. For South Africans, the outcome is another sign of how local politics is changing across the country.
Sources: The Common Sense
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