Coalition Talks Loom in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal as 34 of 44 Councils Are Hung: MK Party Leads the Province With 34 Percent
Durban — Coalition negotiations are looming across KwaZulu-Natal, where 34 of the province's 44 councils have no outright majority, leaving parties to negotiate governing arrangements in municipalities including eThekwini, the Cape Times reported on November 10.
The 2026 local government election results, announced on Sunday, have placed the MK Party in the strongest position in the province, with 34 percent support. The IFP and ANC each received 20 percent, while the DA secured 14 percent.
In eThekwini, the MK Party has the largest share of seats, with 86, followed by the DA with 57, the ANC with 37 and the IFP with 15.
DA KwaZulu-Natal leader Sithembiso Ngema said the party would not co-govern with the MK Party, citing financial mismanagement, organisational instability, leadership turnover and what he described as a lack of a manifesto or clear policies. He acknowledged that the DA had not secured the outright majority in eThekwini it had expected.
IFP national council member Tobias Gumede said he could not speculate on coalition arrangements before the party's National Executive Committee meeting on Monday. Parties must constitute councils and elect mayors within this month, and the talks will decide who governs most of the province's municipalities.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons 词条主图：KwaZulu-Natal
