Far more of South Africa's councils will have no majority after the 2026 local government elections than in 2021. Marius Roodt, Deputy Editor of The Common Sense, sits down with Gabriel Makin two days after the 4 November vote to explain what a hung council is, what has to happen next, and why this is normal in a proportional representation system.

South Africa has 213 municipalities. After the 2021 local government elections, 66 of them were hung, meaning no party won more than 50% of the seats. The Common Sense estimated before the 2026 vote that between 100 and 130 councils would be hung. The count now points to the higher end of that range, and the number of hung councils could more than double compared to 2021.

Marius and Gabriel discuss how the ANC's vote share fell to the low 30s in this election, the party's worst-ever result, although it remains the biggest party in the country. They also discuss how Cape Town will be the only metro where a party won a majority and the DA's impressive performance in uMngeni in KwaZulu-Natal.

Marius and Gabriel also look at what happens next. Within 14 days of the official results, a newly elected council must hold its first meeting, at which it can elect a speaker and a mayor. No coalition agreement is required within that period.