Groblersdal council is hung: ANC 1 seat short with 30 of 61
Elias Motsoaledi (Groblersdal, Marble Hall) has a hung council by one seat. With all 175 voting districts counted, the ANC has 30 of 61 seats, the EFF 9 and the DA 7. A party needs 31 to govern alone. Final results are due Sunday at 18:00.
Elias Motsoaledi, the Limpopo municipality that includes Groblersdal, Marble Hall and Dennilton, has a hung council by a single seat. With all 175 voting districts counted, the ANC has 30 of the 61 seats, one short of the 31 needed to govern alone (ESP).
The ANC won 29 of the 31 wards, and the EFF and DA won one each. The ANC's share of the ward vote fell to 49.0% from 57.8% in 2021, according to IEC data on ESP.
Who won how many seats?
| Party | Ward seats | PR seats | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 29 | 1 | 30 |
| EFF | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| DA | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Bolsheviks Party of South Africa | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| SACP | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Freedom Front Plus | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| MK Party | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Four other parties | 0 | 4 | 4 (one each) |
The four one-seat parties are Answer for Community, Dennilton Residents Association, Build One South Africa and Afrika Mayibuye Movement. Source: ESP, using IEC data; also on The People's Register.
Turnout was 46.1% of about 142,000 registered voters, with 64,025 valid ward votes (ESP).
How did the ward vote split?
| Party | Ward votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| ANC | 31,377 | 49.0% |
| EFF | 9,136 | 14.3% |
| DA | 6,681 | 10.4% |
| Bolsheviks Party of South Africa | 4,417 | 6.9% |
| SACP | 3,547 | 5.5% |
Source: ESP.
What would it take to reach 31 seats?
This is seat arithmetic, not a prediction. No coalition had been announced in the sources used here.
| Combination | Seats |
|---|---|
| ANC + EFF | 39 |
| ANC + DA | 37 |
| ANC + SACP | 33 |
| ANC + any one-seat party | 31 |
| All 10 other parties together | 31 |
Because the ANC is one seat short, the support of any single councillor from another party is enough. A government without the ANC would need all ten other parties to vote together.
When will Elias Motsoaledi get a mayor?
The results are still provisional. The IEC plans to announce the final 2026 local election results at 18:00 on Sunday, 8 November (eNCA), and seat allocations can still change if objections are upheld (IOL).
Once the council is declared, the municipal manager must call the first council meeting within 14 days, where councillors elect a speaker and mayor (Municipal Structures Act; Reported: what happens in a hung council).
How to check your ward result
Use the IEC's results dashboard and search for Elias Motsoaledi (LIM472). Ward-by-ward results are also on ESP and The People's Register. Only the IEC's declaration is final.
FAQ
Is Elias Motsoaledi a hung council after the 2026 election?
Yes, by one seat. With all 175 voting districts counted, the ANC has 30 of 61 seats and needs 31 to govern alone. The IEC declares final results on Sunday 8 November at 18:00.
How many seats did each party win in Elias Motsoaledi?
ANC 30, EFF 9, DA 7, Bolsheviks Party of South Africa 4, SACP 3, Freedom Front Plus 2, MK Party 2, and one each for Answer for Community, Dennilton Residents Association, Build One South Africa and Afrika Mayibuye Movement.
Which parties could give the ANC a majority in Elias Motsoaledi?
Any other party would take the ANC to at least 31 seats, since it is only one short. No coalition had been announced in the sources used here.
When will Elias Motsoaledi elect a mayor?
After the IEC declares the result, the municipal manager must call the first council meeting within 14 days, where the speaker and mayor are elected.