The outcomes of the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE) have made coalition governments a new normal. This raises questions about who is actually running municipalities, how these political arrangements work and whether they can deliver an effective administration.
Last week’s election results delivered 139 hung councils out of the available 257 municipalities across South Africa.
This means in all the hung councils, no political party managed to achieve a 50 plus one outright majority, thereby requiring one another to agree on governance conditions and principles.
Analysts say party representatives now have a 14-day period to do what is right to provide leadership in councils and to service their constituencies.
Institute of Election Management Services in Africa Chairperson, Terry Tselane says, “A hung council basically is a council where you do not have an outright win. When it comes to local government elections, once the elections have taken place, the council must be able to elect the mayor and the speaker, and then the mayor can be able to elect other people who are going to be part of his or her executive. Now, in the event that no party has received 50 plus one, it would mean that that particular council is regarded as a hung council. It means no single party can actually be able to run and manage that council without the support of other political parties.”
LGE 2026 | Hung councils conundrum:
Meanwhile, political analyst, Nkosikhulule Nyembezi says, “It is urgent because the 14-day period is prescribed by law, by which the councils must have their first meeting, and the business of that first meeting is to elect officials, the speaker, the mayor, and so on. So, it is a good thing to see that indeed there are some municipalities that are making a headway. We must remember that much as these elections are held on the same day nationally, and the election manifesto and the promises are based on issues that cut across borders.”