JOHANNESBURG — Decades of political dominance by the African National Congress (ANC) suffered a severe blow this week as final tallies from South Africa’s municipal elections revealed a record-low 31% share of the vote for the once-untouchable liberation party.

The results, finalized Sunday following the November 4 elections, underscore a steep and rapid decline for the party founded by Nelson Mandela. Just five years ago, the ANC commanded 58% of the national vote. By the 2024 general election, that figure slid to 40%, forcing the party into an unprecedented coalition government alongside its main rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which captured 25% of the vote in the latest local contests.

Political analysts attribute the ANC's freefall to widespread voter frustration over chronic structural issues, including soaring unemployment rates, crumbling municipal infrastructure, continuous public service failures, and persistent corruption scandals.

Disenchanted voters who historically formed the bedrock of the ANC's support have increasingly cast ballots for a fragmented array of opposition parties. Because numerous local councils failed to produce a clear parliamentary majority, regions across South Africa now face complex, high-stakes coalition talks to establish municipal leadership.

"We just want basic change—clean running water and functioning public services," said Karina Marais, a 66-year-old restaurant owner in Johannesburg who voted for the ANC for three decades before switching her support to the DA. "It is time to give someone else a chance to fix this."

The setback marks a dramatic chapter for the party that dismantled the apartheid regime in 1994, ushering in universal suffrage and elevating Nelson Mandela to become the nation’s first Black president in May of that year.

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