Government

ANC announces who it will engage for coalitions in South Africa

Staff Writer

 ·13 Nov 2026

The ANC says its National Executive Committee has mandated its negotiation teams to engage with all parties in South Africa for coalition talks, following its dismal showing in the 2026 local elections.

The party issued a late-Friday statement on the outcomes of its NEC meeting held this week, where it reflected on the election.

The local elections produced an unprecedented number of hung municipalities where no political party has secured a majority to establish government on its own.

This, the ANC said, has “imposed on all political parties a duty to reflect and determine the best and most stable coalitions to serve the people of South Africa”.

“The development of our country depends largely on the effectiveness of our councils, and the ANC remains committed to establishing stable and working local government,” it said.

To this end, the party said that the NEC mandated that it engage with “all political parties, large and small, including civic movements and independents” in municipalities where no party has secured an outright majority.

“Engagements with various political parties are already under way, guided by the ANC’s coalition framework,” it said.

“We have also received requests from political parties that have expressed their willingness to work with the African National Congress.”

The party said it would approach the engagements with “an open mind, a willingness to listen and constructively engage in the best interests of our people”.

“Our commitment is to ensure stability in all councils and decide on the most viable and effective way to serve our communities,” it said.

It added that any coalition agreement must be anchored in a common minimum programme with measurable service delivery targets.

“The ANC will pursue stable, transparent, and accountable municipal government, with decisive action against corruption.”

Notably, the party said it would issue a comprehensive statement on Tuesday, 17 November 2026, to update on the progress of coalition engagements.

“There will be no media engagements on this matter before Tuesday,” it said.

No word on the DA

The party’s post-NEC statement struck a more measured tone than insider reports from the NEC meeting itself, with no political party explicitly snubbed in coalition talks.

Two separate media houses, the SABC and TimesLive, reported on Friday that the NEC had expressed icy views on partnering with the DA in any municipalities, saying this was a “last resort”.

Ahead of the NEC meeting, the ANC said it was leaning towards ‘case-by-case’ engagement on coalitions, with no ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy appealing.

The main problem for all the parties involved is that it’s a numbers game. Even among the leaders (ANC, DA, MK, EFF and ActionSA), the numbers don’t quite add up everywhere.

The tables below outline potential coalition matchups among the largest parties across the major metros, considering options with and without the DA in tow.

ANC, ActionSA, EFF and MK coalition across metros*

ANC, EFF and MK coalition across metros*

DA–ANC coalition across metros*

DA–ActionSA coalition across metros*