Polokwane is hung: ANC loses 19 seats and falls to 37 of 90
Polokwane has a hung council. With all 307 voting districts counted, the ANC has 37 of 90 seats (down from 56), the EFF 17, the DA 11 and ActionSA 10. A party needs 46 to govern alone. The IEC declares final results on Sunday 8 November at 18:00.
Polokwane, Limpopo's capital, has a hung council for the first time. With all 307 voting districts counted, the ANC has 37 of the 90 seats, nine short of the 46 it needs to govern alone (ESP; The People's Register).
The ANC won 56 seats in 2021, so it has lost 19 (Africa Daily). Its share of the ward vote fell to 41.0%, down from 58.3% five years ago (ESP).
Who won how many seats?
| Party | Ward seats | PR seats | Total | Change from 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 35 | 2 | 37 | down 19 |
| EFF | 5 | 12 | 17 | down 4 |
| DA | 5 | 6 | 11 | up 4 |
| ActionSA | 0 | 10 | 10 | new |
| SACP | 0 | 6 | 6 | new |
| Freedom Front Plus | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| Six other parties | 0 | 6 | 6 (one each) |
The six one-seat parties are the ACDP, Magoshi Swaranang Movement, United Africans Transformation, MK Party, Afrika Mayibuye Movement and Born to Win. Sources: ESP (IEC data), The People's Register, 2021 comparison from Africa Daily.
Turnout was 46.4% of about 384,000 registered voters, according to IEC figures quoted by ESP.
Where did the ANC lose ground?
Mostly on the PR ballot. The ANC still won 35 of the 45 wards, but those ward wins mean it gets only two PR seats, because PR seats top parties up to their share of the overall vote (ESP; Reported: how council seats are calculated).
The EFF and DA took five wards each. ActionSA and the SACP, both contesting Polokwane as separate parties for the first time, won no wards but picked up 16 PR seats between them (ESP; Africa Daily).
What would it take to reach 46 seats?
This is seat arithmetic from the IEC allocation, not a prediction of any deal:
| Combination | Seats | Majority (46)? |
|---|---|---|
| ANC + EFF | 54 | Yes |
| ANC + DA | 48 | Yes |
| ANC + ActionSA | 47 | Yes |
| ANC + SACP | 43 | Three short |
| EFF + DA + ActionSA + SACP | 44 | Two short |
Source: seat totals from The People's Register.
Any ANC deal with one of the three next-biggest parties gets over the line. A government without the ANC would need the EFF, DA, ActionSA and SACP plus at least two smaller parties. No coalition had been announced in the sources used here.
When will Polokwane get a new mayor?
The IEC announces the final national results at 18:00 today, Sunday 8 November, at its results centre in Midrand (eNCA). Until then the seat figures are provisional.
After the declaration, the municipal manager must call the first council sitting within 14 days, where councillors elect a speaker and an executive mayor (Municipal Structures Act; Reported: what happens in a hung council). The current mayor and council stay in place until then, and water, electricity and rates billing carry on as normal.
How to check your ward result
Search for Polokwane (LIM354) on the IEC's results dashboard. Ward-by-ward figures are also on ESP and The People's Register. Only the IEC's declaration is final.
FAQ
Is Polokwane a hung council after the 2026 election?
Yes. With all 307 voting districts counted, the ANC has 37 of 90 seats and no party has the 46 needed to govern alone. The IEC declares final results on Sunday 8 November at 18:00.
How many seats did each party win in Polokwane?
ANC 37, EFF 17, DA 11, ActionSA 10, SACP 6, Freedom Front Plus 3, and one seat each for the ACDP, Magoshi Swaranang Movement, United Africans Transformation, MK Party, Afrika Mayibuye Movement and Born to Win.
Which parties together reach a majority in Polokwane?
On the IEC seat allocation, the ANC plus the EFF (54), the DA (48) or ActionSA (47) would each reach 46. No coalition had been announced in the sources used here.
When will Polokwane 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 executive mayor are elected.