South African municipal election, 2016

South African municipal elections, 2016

← 2011 3 August 2016 2021 →
All councillors for all 8 metropolitan municipalities All councillors for all 226 local municipalities 40% of councillors for all 44 district municipalities
First party Second party   Leader Jacob Zuma Mmusi Maimane Party African National Congress Democratic Alliance Last election 61.95% 23.94% Popular vote 16,103,206 8,033,630 Percentage 53.91% 26.90% Swing 8.04% 2.96%   Third party Fourth party   Leader Julius Malema Mangosuthu Buthelezi Party Economic Freedom Fighters Inkatha Freedom Party Last election 3.57% Popular vote 2,447,353 1,268,824 Percentage 8.19% 4.25% Swing 8.19% (new) 0.68%

All councillors for all 226 local municipalities

The 2016 South African municipal elections were held on 3 August 2016, to elect councils for all district, metropolitan and local municipalities in each of the country's nine provinces. It was the fifth municipal election held in South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994; municipal elections are held every five years.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) was the largest party overall, earning 53.9% of the total vote. It was followed by the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) with 26.9% and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 8.2%. Popular support for the ANC fell to its lowest level since 1994, a shift which was most pronounced in the country's urban centres. Despite marginal gains in some areas, the ANC lost control of three metropolitan municipalities – namely Nelson Mandela Bay, City of Tshwane and City of Johannesburg – to opposition parties as a result of the election. The DA achieved its best local electoral performance so far, while the EFF, contesting its first local government election, improved on its performance in the 2014 general election. The local polls were widely seen a turning point in the political landscape of South Africa, as the dominance of the ANC was greatly diminished while coalition and minority governments became more widespread.

Local government in South Africa consists of municipalities of various types. The largest metropolitan areas are governed by metropolitan municipalities, while the rest of the country is divided into district municipalities, each of which consists of several local municipalities. After the 2016 election there were eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities.

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