South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) needs coalition partners to keep Mangaung, the metropolitan council around Bloemfontein, the main city of South Africa’s Free State province, which it governed outright before the 4 November 2026 local elections. A 12 November report in the South African press says the ANC’s talks there leave out the Democratic Alliance (DA), its main rival and its partner in the national government, and the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), a conservative party that mainly represents Afrikaner voters; we could not confirm it.
For US readers, the choice matters because city deals can strain the ANC-DA partnership in the national government. Mangaung is also a test of how the ANC will bargain after its national vote fell to about 31% (final national result, declared 8 November).
- Mangaung vote: ANC 33.91%, DA about 33.5%, so neither can govern alone.
- A majority needs 51 of the council’s 101 seats; the ANC has about 35 or 36.
- The ANC’s national spokesperson said on 12 November each municipality will be assessed individually.
- Reported, not confirmed: the ANC’s Mangaung talks exclude the DA and the FF Plus.
- As of 12 November 2026, 21:00 GMT
Where Mangaung Stands
On the results dashboard of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, the body that runs elections, on 6 November, with all districts counted, the ANC won 33.91% of the Mangaung vote and the DA about 33.5%, a gap of under one percentage point. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a left-wing party, took about 8.6% and nine seats, and the FF Plus took about 5.9% and six seats.
Sources differ by one seat on the ANC and DA tallies, so we give them as about 35 or 36 for the ANC and 33 or 34 for the DA. Other parties hold the last 17 seats or so.
Our earlier report on the Mangaung count has the full vote breakdown. In 2021 the ANC won 50.6% of the vote there, a slim outright majority.
The Arithmetic of Exclusion
If the DA and the FF Plus are left out, the ANC would have to reach 51 seats without their roughly 39 or 40. The ANC’s 35 or 36 seats plus the EFF’s nine come to 44 or 45, so it would still need six or seven of the last 17 seats.
The reverse is just as hard. The DA’s 33 or 34 seats plus the FF Plus’s six come to about 40, which leaves the DA needing more than ten seats from the other parties.
How the ANC Is Running the Talks
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, the party’s chief administrator, has centralised coalition negotiations, so provinces and regions have little say on which parties to approach. His circular says council-by-council deals in the 2021 to 2026 term lacked a shared programme and often proved unstable.
On Thursday 12 November the ANC’s national spokesperson said before a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee, its top decision body between conferences, in Boksburg near Johannesburg, that there would be no blanket approach until that committee decides otherwise. The committee is expected to adopt a mandate for the party’s negotiating team.
Our report on the ANC’s coalition choices covers the national picture. The committee’s decision, once public, is expected to set the mandate for every city.
What Is Not Known
We could not confirm who the ANC is negotiating with in Mangaung, beyond the press report above, or whether the DA and the FF Plus were left out by choice or simply not yet approached. The outcome of the committee meeting was not public when we wrote.
No party has announced a mayoral candidate or a signed agreement. The final certified seat counts should be checked against the Electoral Commission’s results page.
What It Means for You
Investors who hold South African stocks or bonds through US funds should treat Mangaung as one data point in a country-wide pattern of coalition councils. Unstable city deals can slow budgets and service contracts.
Watch the ANC’s choice of partners most closely. More coverage is on our South Africa page.
What to Watch Next
Watch for the committee’s decision on its coalition mandate and for any formal talks in Mangaung. The first council meeting, where councillors vote for a mayor, will show who has done a deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who governs Mangaung now?
No party holds a majority. A governing coalition needs 51 of the 101 council seats, and the ANC and the DA each hold about a third.
Can the ANC govern Mangaung with the EFF alone?
Not on the vote counts we found. The ANC’s roughly 35 or 36 seats plus the Economic Freedom Fighters’ nine come to 44 or 45, short of 51.
Has the ANC ruled out working with the DA in Mangaung?
We could not confirm that. A 12 November press report says the Mangaung talks leave out the DA and the FF Plus, but the ANC has not confirmed it and says it will judge each municipality on its own.
Sources: Electoral Commission of South Africa, results and final national result of 8 November 2026; ANC national spokesperson, briefing of 12 November 2026; ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, circular to provincial structures, November 2026.
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