South Africa: Civic Movements Rise As ANC Loses Grip On Eastern Cape
New political party born from Ngcobo shutdown movement wins council seats
The ANC now has a majority so far in only 19 of the Eastern Cape's councils, down from 29. Twelve councils are hung.
A civic movement that emerged from protests in Ngcobo won three seats. Another civic movement won four seats in Makana, where it helped strip the ANC of its majority for the first time.
The ANC lost seats in both the province's metro municipalities, while the UDM, the SACP and the Patriotic Alliance grew.
In the local government elections last week, a civic movement that grew out of years of protest over failing services won three seats in the Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality. The main town, Ngcobo, has seen multiple shutdown protests since last year, first by the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO), then by the Ngcobo Yethu Civic Organisation (NYCO).
The ANC held on to the council but with a much smaller majority. It won 24 of the 38 seats, down from 32 of 39 in 2021. The ATM became the main opposition, growing from one seat to seven. NYCO, standing for the first time, won three seats.
We first reported on the protest movement in Ngcobo in April 2025, when small-business owners blocked the R61 to demand the suspension of municipal manager Khathutshelo Mulaudzi. Residents complained of crumbling roads, broken toilets and streetlights, and dry taps.
In May and June 2025, SANCO shut down the town several times and asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene.
NYCO took up the campaign this year. In June, it led hundreds of residents in a march in support of municipal workers. The workers said the municipality had not paid over their tax, medical aid, provident fund and UIF contributions.
"They are angry because their money has been stolen," said NYCO chairperson Gcobani Nkwele.
In August, NYCO led a shutdown. Trucks blocked the R61 and taxi operators joined the protest. On 17 August, Mulaudzi was placed on precautionary suspension pending an investigation. The municipality also agreed to reinstate workers unlawfully dismissed or suspended.
In October, NYCO launched its election manifesto, with Esethu Mntsantsa as its mayoral candidate.
The day before the election, two NYCO members, one of them a proportional representation candidate, were arrested for allegedly collecting voting material from Ngcobo police station, claiming to have been sent by an IEC official.
Nkwele said NYCO would hold the council to account, protect workers' rights and make sure communities receive services.
In the Makana Local Municipality, another civic organisation, the Makana United Civic Movement (MUCM), won four seats, helping to strip the ANC of its majority for the first time. The ANC won only ten of the 25 seats on the Makana council, down from 14 in 2021.
MUCM was founded about six months before the election by local businesspeople and residents.
Chairperson Andile Peter said the movement was ready to serve the people of Makhanda and had put forward the best people for the job.
"We will go into any coalition that puts the best interests of the people of Makhanda [first]. It would not be desirable to form a coalition with the ANC. If we are not satisfied with whoever we must work with, we will be a very effective opposition," said Peter.
In January 2020, in a case brought by the Unemployed People's Movement and other civil society organisations, Judge Igna Stretch of the Makhanda High Court ordered the council dissolved and the municipality placed under administration. She found its failure to provide services was "inconsistent with the 1996 Constitution".
ANC loses grip across Eastern Cape
After the 2021 elections, the ANC had a majority on 29 of the Eastern Cape's 33 metro and local councils. It now has a majority in only 19 so far. Its share of the provincial ward vote fell from 62% to 45%.
Twelve councils are hung, eight of which had ANC majorities after the 2021 elections.
The ANC has also lost control in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, where residents have protested for years about blocked prepaid electricity meters, water shortages and unusable toilets.
The ANC fell from 44 to hold 31 of the 68 seats, four short of a majority.
The DA went from one to four wards. These include ward 9 in Ezibeleni, where residents have complained of electricity cuts since 2017.
"I just hope this is a wake-up call for the ANC," said community activist Sibulele Mninzi.
The biggest upset was in Buffalo City. For the first time since it became a metro in 2011, the ANC lost its majority. It won 42 of the 100 seats, down from 61.
The UDM came second with 19 seats, up from one. The DA won 17 seats, down three since 2021. The EFF won seven, six fewer than in 2021, and the SACP won five.
In Nelson Mandela Bay, the DA is now the largest party by far, but it is still short of a majority. It won 53 of the 120 seats, five more than the 48 it won in 2021. It needs 61 for a majority. The ANC fell from 48 seats to 32.
The EFF won seven seats, losing one since 2021. The Patriotic Alliance won four seats, up from two in 2021. The SACP, which did not stand on its own in 2021, won four. Thirteen other parties share the remaining 20 seats.
The metro has been run by coalitions since 2016. It had four mayors in the last term. The ANC's Eugene Johnson was elected in November 2021 and ousted in September 2022, when the DA's Retief Odendaal took over. Odendaal was removed by a motion of no confidence in May 2023 and replaced by Gary van Niekerk of the Northern Alliance. In October 2024, Van Niekerk swapped jobs with his deputy, the ANC's Babalwa Lobishe.
Lobishe's tenure was marred by controversy. The municipality leased a R25-million transformer to Coega Steel without a council resolution. Her own chief of staff accused her of misleading Parliament, a claim she has denied.
Read the original article on GroundUp.