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A large majority of South Africans want the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) to work together in municipalities where neither party wins a majority.

This is according to polling conducted by the Social Research Foundation, in conjunction with The Common Sense, in September and October.

People were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “Should no one party win a majority and the ANC and DA can form a majority together in any municipality or metro after the next local government elections, they should do so and form a coalition together in the interests of stability.”

Nearly 70% of voters agreed with the statement and 30% said they disagreed. Potential ANC-DA cooperation was particularly popular among ANC voters, with 83% of supporters of that party saying they thought the DA and ANC should work together.

The chart below shows the views on ANC-DA cooperation among all voters, ANC voters, DA voters, and black, coloured, and white voters.

Methodology

The figures come from a Social Research Foundation market survey conducted in conjunction with The Common Sense and carried out by Victory Research using telephonic CATI interviews. A single-frame random digit dialling design was used, with respondents screened for voter registration and then interviewed, and the sample was further quota-controlled for key demographic characteristics of South Africa’s registered voter population. National SIM card penetration exceeds 250.0%, making telephonic interviewing a reliable method of reaching a representative sample of registered voters. The sample was fully weighted according to the demographic parameters of the registered voter population.

The survey was conducted from 18 September to 12 October 2026 among 3 100 respondents.