Rustenburg is hung: ANC loses 8 seats and falls to 35 of 90
Rustenburg has a hung council. With all 176 voting districts counted, the ANC has 35 of 90 seats (down from 43), the DA 13 and the EFF 12. A party needs 46 to govern alone. The IEC declares final results on Sunday 8 November at 18:00.
Rustenburg, the North West platinum belt municipality, has a hung council. With all 176 voting districts and all 45 wards counted, the ANC has 35 of the 90 seats, 11 short of the 46 it needs to govern alone (ESP; Counted; Rateweb).
The ANC won 43 seats in 2021, so it has lost 8 (Counted). Its share of the ward vote fell to 37.8%, down from 45.5% five years ago (ESP).
Who won how many seats?
| Party | Ward seats | PR seats | Total | Change from 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 35 | 0 | 35 | down 8 |
| DA | 7 | 6 | 13 | unchanged |
| EFF | 1 | 11 | 12 | down 5 |
| ActionSA | 0 | 6 | 6 | new |
| SACP | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| Freedom Front Plus | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| MK Party | 1 | 2 | 3 | new |
| Labour Party of South Africa | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| Rustenburg People's Party | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Seriti le Kaelo Independent Party | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Seven other parties | 0 | 7 | 7 (one each) |
The seven one-seat parties are the Patriotic Alliance, African Transformation Movement, Tsogang Civic Movement, Lethabong Service Movement, Purple Party Ikageng, Badiredi Ba Setshaba and Bakanana Pele Campaign. Tsogang Civic Movement held 7 seats in 2021 and now has 1 (Counted). Sources: ESP (IEC data), Counted and Rateweb.
Turnout was 44.6% of about 325,000 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 no PR seats, because PR seats top parties up to their share of the overall vote (ESP; Reported: how council seats are calculated).
The DA took seven wards. The EFF, the MK Party and Seriti le Kaelo Independent Party took one ward each (ESP). ActionSA, the SACP, the Freedom Front Plus and the Labour Party won no wards but picked up 16 PR seats between them.
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 | 47 | Yes |
| ANC + DA | 48 | Yes |
| ANC + ActionSA | 41 | Five short |
| ANC + SACP | 39 | Seven short |
| ANC + ActionSA + SACP | 45 | One short |
| DA + EFF + ActionSA + SACP + FF Plus + MK + Labour | 44 | Two short |
Source: seat totals from ESP and Counted.
Any ANC deal with the EFF or the DA gets over the line. A deal with ActionSA alone does not, and a government without the ANC would need almost every other seated party. No coalition had been announced in the sources used here.
When will Rustenburg 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 Rustenburg (NW373) on the IEC's results dashboard. Ward-by-ward figures are also on ESP and Counted. Only the IEC's declaration is final.
FAQ
Is Rustenburg a hung council after the 2026 election?
Yes. With all 176 voting districts counted, the ANC has 35 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 Rustenburg?
ANC 35, DA 13, EFF 12, ActionSA 6, SACP 4, Freedom Front Plus 3, MK Party 3, Labour Party of South Africa 3, Rustenburg People's Party 2, Seriti le Kaelo Independent Party 2, and one seat each for seven smaller parties.
Which parties together reach a majority in Rustenburg?
On the IEC seat allocation, the ANC plus the EFF (47) or the DA (48) would each reach 46. The ANC plus ActionSA has 41, five short. No coalition had been announced in the sources used here.
When will Rustenburg 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.