Mbombela hung: ANC 43 seats, needs 46 to govern Nelspruit
City of Mbombela (Nelspruit) is hung after a full count: the ANC has 43 of 90 seats, three short of a majority. Seat table, vote share and what happens next.
Provisional IEC figures show a hung council in the City of Mbombela (Nelspruit and surrounds, Mpumalanga): the African National Congress is the largest party with 43 of 90 seats, three short of the 46 seats needed to govern alone (ESP Mbombela results from IEC data; The Outlier Mbombela; Mandate SA Mbombela; Rateweb Mpumalanga results).
Treat seats as provisional until the IEC formally declares the council. ESP and The Outlier show all 285 voting districts and all 45 wards complete as of Saturday 7 November 2026. SABC News also reports Mpumalanga at 100% captured, with Mbombela declared hung after the ANC fell from about 65% in 2021 to about 48% this week.
What is the Mbombela seat split?
| Party | Ward | PR | Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 39 | 4 | 43 |
| DA | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| EFF | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| Service Delivery Party | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Freedom Front Plus | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| MK Party | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| SACP | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| ActionSA | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| ACDP | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| African Transformation Movement | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Council size: 90 seats. Majority: 46. No party has it (ESP / The Outlier from IEC data).
How did the vote share look?
On the ward ballot, ESP puts the ANC on 47.8% (89,774 of 187,793 valid ward votes), down about 16.7 percentage points from 64.5% in 2021. The DA is second on 15.2%, the EFF third on 11.5%, and the Service Delivery Party fourth on 8.2%. Mandate SA's combined ward-plus-PR totals put the ANC on about 47.9%, the DA on 15.2%, the EFF on 11.7% and the SDP on 8.2%.
The ANC took 39 of 45 wards. The DA won 5 wards and the EFF 1 ward. Once proportional seats were added, the ANC stayed three short of 46 (ESP).
Turnout on ESP's PR-ballot calculation is about 52.7% (about 191,232 of 362,820 registered voters). The IEC publishes about 53.1% for the municipality.
What happens next in Nelspruit?
Because no party has 46 seats, parties will need a coalition or minority deal to elect a speaker and executive mayor. Under the Municipal Structures Act, the first meeting of a new council must be held within 14 days of the IEC declaring the results. Councillors elect the speaker first, then the mayor.
Smaller parties with seats (DA, EFF, SDP, Freedom Front Plus, MK Party and others) can decide which bloc reaches 46. No deal has been confirmed in the sources above.
Rateweb's Mpumalanga summary shows 16 of 17 councils in the province fully counted, with only 3 holding an outright majority and 13 hung, including Mbombela (Rateweb Mpumalanga).
The IEC is still expected to announce final national results on Sunday 8 November 2026 around 17:30 Africa/Johannesburg (Inside Politics).
For the national hung-council picture, see our 122 hung councils update. For the mayor timeline rules, see 14 days to elect a mayor.
Where to check your ward
Use the IEC results dashboard, ESP's Mbombela page, or Mandate SA's Mbombela page. Figures stay provisional until the IEC's formal declaration.
FAQ
Did the ANC win Mbombela outright?
No. The ANC has 43 of 90 seats on provisional IEC figures. A majority needs 46, so the council is hung (ESP / The Outlier / Mandate SA / Rateweb).
What is the Mbombela seat split?
ANC 43, DA 14, EFF 11, Service Delivery Party 8, Freedom Front Plus 4, MK Party 4, SACP 2, ActionSA 2, ACDP 1 and African Transformation Movement 1 (ESP from IEC data).
Where is the City of Mbombela?
It is the local municipality in Mpumalanga that includes Nelspruit and surrounds (municipal code MP326).
When must Mbombela elect a mayor?
The first council meeting must be held within 14 days of the IEC declaring the results. Parties need a coalition or minority deal because no party has 46 seats.
How far is counting in Mbombela?
ESP and The Outlier show all 285 voting districts and all 45 wards complete as of Saturday 7 November 2026. Seats stay provisional until the IEC formally declares the council.