ANC loses ground in North West but remains biggest party
The council building for the City of Matlosana Local Municipality in Klerksdorp in the North West province. Archive photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Before last week’s elections, GroundUp reported on three troubled North West municipalities run by the ANC and ANC-led coalitions. While support for the ANC has fallen in all the municipalities, it might not change […]
The council building for the City of Matlosana Local Municipality in Klerksdorp in the North West province. Archive photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
Before last week’s elections, GroundUp reported on three troubled North West municipalities run by the ANC and ANC-led coalitions. While support for the ANC has fallen in all the municipalities, it might not change how the municipalities are governed.
Despite dwindling support for the ANC across the North West – the party has lost 86 council seats since the 2021 election – it remains the province’s biggest party.
The ANC won 344 of 402 wards, but lost its majority in eight municipalities. It now has outright control of seven councils.
Out of 18 councils in the province, 11 are hung.
The DA gained 19 seats, the EFF lost 39. ActionSA merged with Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) for this election and achieved 57 seats.
The ANC maintained its majority in Tswaing, where we reported on how residents endure sewage spills, water shortages, unreliable electricity and irregular rubbish collection.
Tswaing municipality is home to roughly 130,000 people. It includes Delareyville, Sannieshof, Agisanang, Letsopa and Ottosdal. 25,521 people voted, a turnout of 45.6%, up from 42.9% in 2021.
The ANC won all 14 wards and received 56.4% of the PR vote. It holds 16 of the 28 council seats, down from 19 in 2021.
The DA overtook the EFF to be the second-largest party. It kept its four seats, while the EFF dropped from four to three.
The City of Matlosana will see a coalition government for the first time. It is home to about 430,000 people and includes Klerksdorp, Jouberton, Orkney, Kanana, Stilfontein, Khuma, Hartebeesfontein and Tigane. It has been run by the ANC since 2000, when the municipality was set up.
Before the elections, we reported on the municipality’s serious governance issues. It is under a mandatory financial recovery plan from the province, after years of mismanagement, with R10.8-billion in unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
Creditors wait about 600 days to be paid, and services are failing. The Auditor-General found the municipality achieved only 58% of its service delivery targets despite spending 85% of its budget. We also reported on a recent deal it made with a questionable security company.
About 98,000 Matlosana residents voted last week, a 48.5% turnout (up from 43% in 2021).
The ANC received 32 of the 77 council seats, down from 40. It needs 39 to form a government. The DA gained four seats, getting 20. The EFF won six seats – three fewer than the last election. The VF Plus got six, down from seven in 2021.
Running independently for the first time in the local elections, the ANC’s tripartite alliance partner, the South African Communist Party (SACP), won three seats.
Coalition government has not been effective in the troubled Ditsobotla Local Municipality, The unstable ANC–EFF coalition has led to two different ANC councillors claiming they are the mayor, and the coalition might continue for another five years. This is despite the ANC’s support eroding significantly over time. In 2011, the ANC got 77.3% of the PR vote in Ditsobotla. In 2021, it got 53.2%. This year, it got 39.5%.
Ditsobotla has roughly 164,000 residents, and includes Lichtenburg, Boikhutso, Blydeville, Coligny, Biesiesvlei and Itsoseng. We reported on how service delivery has effectively ground to a halt, leaving many residents without water, sanitation, electricity or suitable roads.
The ANC held a slim majority after the 2021 elections, but lost its majority when the council was dissolved and re-elected in December 2022. The municipality has been run by coalitions since. A coalition between the ANC, Patriotic Alliance (PA) F4SD and African Heart Congress ran the council until June 2023, when it was ousted by an EFF-DA-VF Plus and F4SD vote.
In January 2025, the ANC and EFF formed a coalition. Two different ANC councillors then claimed to be mayor.
42,435 people in Ditsobotla cast their vote this year, a 52.7% turnout, up from 45% in 2021.
The ANC secured 18 out of 39 seats. The DA received five seats, losing one. The EFF secured four council seats. This means the current EFF-ANC coalition could continue.
Naude Pienaar from the Ditsobotla Services Association said “nothing will change” in the new council.
With municipal services failing, local businesses have stepped in, contributing funds and expertise to provide water, sanitation, electricity and roads.
“We did not have a choice, but I don’t know how long businesses can afford to help,” said Pienaar.
At the time of writing, there had been no water for three weeks.
Ditsobotla has received disclaimed audit opinions for more than a decade. Irregular, unauthorised, fruitless and wasteful expenditure consumes 77% of its operating budget, contributing to stalled projects, delayed salaries and unpaid contractors.
After multiple failed provincial interventions, in September 2025, cabinet placed Ditsobotla under national intervention, citing governance failures, financial mismanagement and collapsing services.