A researcher at the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) said he expects more hung councils after the Local Government Elections on Wednesday, 4 November 2026.
Thembelani Mazibuko, who works in the group’s coalitions programme, told SAnews.gov.za that KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng are most likely to see councils where no party wins an outright majority. He said parts of Mpumalanga, the Free State, the Northern Cape and the southern Eastern Cape could follow.
“So that is why I say, the state of local government is mixed,” Mazibuko said, describing how service delivery differs between suburbs and poorer township areas in the same municipality.
He said hung councils would mean more coalition governments. Parties would have to negotiate deals to form a governing majority, and talks could take time when they disagree over who should be mayor.
The law requires a council’s first meeting to take place within 14 days of the election results. Mazibuko said this could put pressure on parties to reach agreements.
He said municipal services are delivered by officials such as city managers and unit heads. These officials stay in place while political parties negotiate.
According to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Municipal Structures Amendment Bill, 2026, known as the Coalition Bill, aims to regulate coalitions. Under the Bill, coalition agreements must be in writing and published in the Provincial Gazette. Mazibuko said the Bill is still at an early stage.
Mazibuko said big metros such as Johannesburg, eThekwini, Cape Town and Tshwane have stronger economies and a bigger rates base. He said they generally perform better than rural municipalities, which have few businesses.
“The shadow of apartheid still looms, as municipalities in the former homelands continue to struggle even today,” he told SAnews.gov.za. He named the Eastern Cape, home to the former Ciskei and Transkei, as an example.
He said many people mix up the roles of the three spheres of government. He gave immigration as an example of an issue that local government does not deal with.
Mazibuko said ward councillors do not fix potholes themselves. Their job is to take residents’ complaints to the right municipal officials. Councillors also set up ward committees of up to 10 people.
Voter turnout at the 2021 local elections dropped to 45.86%. Mazibuko linked this partly to the COVID-19 pandemic and to rules that required people to vote where they registered.
He suggested that the National Assembly could consider same-day voter registration in future. “If you look at the 1994 elections, for example, people just turned out with their ID book and were allowed to vote, and that election was free and fair,” he said.
He warned against online voting because of the risk of hacking. He said young people generally vote at lower rates than other age groups, partly because they have had fewer chances to register.
Mazibuko urged undecided voters to read party manifestos and to watch out for false information on WhatsApp, X and Facebook. The Electoral Commission has partnered with Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and Moxii Africa to counter disinformation ahead of the elections.
Source: this article is based on reporting by SAnews.gov.za. Image: GCIS via SAnews.gov.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.