The ANC will not be the DA’s obvious choice when the two government of national unity (GNU) partners go head-to-head in the 2026 municipal elections should there be hung municipalities.
The number of municipalities hung in local government elections has increased over the years. This included the City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and the City of Tshwane, which have been governed by coalitions in recent years.
Speaking to TimesLIVE Premium about the prospects of the GNU bloc leading hung municipalities in 2026, DA leader John Steenhuisen said the party was not sold on working with the ANC in all municipalities “as it might affect service delivery”.
“Municipalities need to be seen on their own individual basis. In some municipalities it might make sense [to have a GNU-like coalition] and in some it won’t make sense. There are many hung municipalities where if we went with the ANC there could be a government, but it is not in the interest of service delivery for us to do it. We assess each case based on local circumstances,” Steenhuisen said.
The Tshwane metro has been one of the most contested municipalities, with the ANC and DA fighting to be at the helm of the city since 2016. The ANC lost its majority vote in the capital city in 2016, and since then the metro has had an ever-changing leadership.
In September, the DA lost the mayoral position in Tshwane after the ANC, ActionSA and EFF formed a coalition and ousted Cilliers Brink.
The Johannesburg metro is also led by ActionSA as the DA couldn’t secure a coalition while butting heads with the ANC.
The ANC’s ring-fence of Gauteng metros through coalitions is a reflection of the province’s position.
The DA has been at odds with Gauteng ANC chairperson and premier Panyaza Lesufi. The two parties could not form a provincial government after the May 29 elections despite national leadership supporting a reflection of the GNU.
The two parties drawing opposition lines in provincial leadership will likely intensify in the upcoming municipal elections.
Across the country, local government councillors come under tremendous pressure to resolve water-related issues. In most cases, the solutions are out of their control as the source of the problem is the senior leadership who failed to plan and implement proper water management in their towns and cities.
— John Steenhuisen, DA leader
Speaking at a press conference on water supply issues last week, Steenhuisen criticised the ANC’s handling of basic service delivery, putting a spotlight on Johannesburg’s water problems.
He urged voters to widen the blue party's horizon in the 2026 elections. In the 2021 local government elections the DA won the majority in 12 municipalities (21.66% of the vote). The party also had a leading vote in 24 municipalities.
In 2021 local elections the ANC won the majority vote in 122 municipalities (45%). This was a reflection of the party’s national election run in which it obtained 40.18% of the vote.
“Across the country, local government councillors come under tremendous pressure to resolve water-related issues. In most cases, the solutions are out of their control, as the source of the problem is the senior leadership who failed to plan and implement proper water management in their towns and cities,” Steenhuisen said when launching the party's municipal election campaign.
Steenhuisen believes Deputy President Paul Mashatile has not done much to solve the water problem. Mashatile leads government’s water task team to resolve the challenges.
“To date no noticeable interventions have been initiated as residents face worsening outages and millions continue to be lost through water leaks and illegal connections. A recent DA oversight inspection in the Alfred Nzo district municipality in the Eastern Cape has revealed a humanitarian crisis. We found contaminated wells and rivers and people sharing water sources with animals,” he said.
“Make no mistake, we are in a crisis that has already cost , and will cost more, human lives if we don’t act now. We do not accept dry taps as our new normal. There is hope. We can change the ending to this story.”
Mashatile, as chairperson of the water task team, has been visiting water-challenged provinces such as Limpopo.
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