After the 2026 local elections, three coalition deals are on the table for South Africa's hung councils. Marius Roodt and Gabriel Makin discuss each one.

The first is the ANC with ActionSA, the MKP, and the EFF. It would have a majority in the Gauteng metros and eThekwini.

The second is the ANC with the DA. The ANC won 53 of the 213 councils outright, and the DA won 12. In a further 93 councils, the two parties together pass 50%. That is nearly three-quarters of all municipalities.

The third is the DA with ActionSA, which works on its own only in Tshwane.

Each deal has a cost. An ANC deal with the MKP and the EFF would put the GNU at risk. An ANC-DA deal would mean the ANC playing second fiddle in the Gauteng metros and Nelson Mandela Bay, which the Gauteng ANC does not want.