SOUTH AFRICA · POLITICS
South Africa’s Communist Party says it will give no party automatic support in the coalition talks that follow the 4 November local elections. Solly Mapaila, general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP), told reporters at the national results centre of the Electoral Commission of South Africa in Midrand, near Johannesburg, on Friday 6 November that the party will bring left-wing forces together.
Key Facts
- Who Solly Mapaila leads the SACP, a party founded in 1921 and long allied with the African National Congress (ANC).
- What The SACP says no party, including the ANC, gets automatic support.
- Why it matters Councils without a majority after the 4 November vote need partners to choose mayors.
- Prediction markets Polymarket, a prediction platform, gives Democratic Alliance (DA) candidate Helen Zille 54.5% to be Johannesburg’s next mayor (8 November, 5:00 p.m. ET).
- As of 8 November 2026, 22:00 GMT.
What Mapaila Said
Mapaila said there is no automatic support for any single party, a line that includes the ANC, the SACP’s long-time ally. He said the SACP would convene a meeting of the left-wing forces that contested the election as soon as possible.
The party’s own statement of 7 November confirms that he spoke live to the media at the Results Operations Centre on the Friday. It does not set out a coalition position.
In Plain English
SACP: a communist party that has long been an ally of the ANC and ran on its own this time. DA: the Democratic Alliance, a centre-right party that sits with the ANC in the national government.
Hung council: a council where no party holds more than half the seats. Coalition: a deal between parties to govern together.
Why the SACP Is Free to Choose
The SACP has long opposed the DA’s place beside the ANC in the national Government of National Unity, the multi-party government formed after the 2024 election. It chose to stand its own candidates in the 2026 local elections rather than campaign under the ANC banner.
The party won council seats in several provinces, which is why its choices now matter. How many seats it finally holds will decide how much leverage it has, and seat counts were still being finalised.
What Happens in Hung Councils
In a hung council, parties must agree among themselves who becomes mayor and who controls the budget. Those deals are negotiated between the parties after the vote.
Municipal councils oversee local services such as water and roads. That is why companies and investors with interests in Johannesburg, Tshwane (Pretoria) and Cape Town watch who ends up in charge.
For earlier coverage, see our report on the Johannesburg vote count and our election-day guide. For background, read about the DA’s election strategy.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction platform, traders gave Helen Zille, the DA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate, 54.5% to be the city’s next mayor at 5:00 p.m. ET on 8 November, with about US$151,000 traded across the candidates in that mayoral market. These prices are bets, not polls, and they can move quickly as coalition talks develop.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for You
Councils without a majority will be run by whichever coalitions form in the coming weeks. Investors and travellers should watch whether the ANC leans towards the DA, towards the left or towards a mix, because each route points to different budget and service priorities.
An SACP that withholds automatic backing makes the ANC’s coalition arithmetic harder in some councils, but it does not close any door. Much will depend on how many seats the party finally holds.
What Is Not Known
The electoral commission had not declared final results at the time of writing, so seat counts that show who holds the balance are provisional. It is also unclear what conditions the SACP will attach to talks with the ANC.
It is unclear which parties will join the left-wing meeting he proposed. A report that Mapaila also ruled out a coalition with the DA outright has not been matched by a written party statement, so we do not treat it as confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which party will the SACP back in coalition talks?
None automatically. Solly Mapaila said there is no automatic support for any single party.
What is a hung council?
It is a council where no party holds more than half the seats. Parties must then agree a coalition before a mayor can be elected.
Is the SACP still allied with the ANC?
It is a long-time ally but ran separately in this election. Mapaila said the ANC does not get automatic support.
Sources: South African Communist Party statement of 7 November 2026 (https://www.sacp.org.za/press-statements); public remarks by Solly Mapaila at the national results centre, Midrand; Electoral Commission of South Africa results portal (https://results.elections.org.za); Polymarket market page “Next Mayor of Johannesburg?” (https://polymarket.com/event/next-mayor-of-johannesburg-20260609220245506), read 8 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error