Former South African President Thabo Mbeki called for the African National Congress (ANC) leadership to resign after the party’s municipal losses, while its spokesperson said President Cyril Ramaphosa faced no internal push to step down.
Reuters reported the ANC received about 31% of the vote, down from 46% at the 2021 municipal elections. It was the party’s weakest municipal result. That was a decline of about 15 percentage points. An earlier tally also put the ANC near 31% with 99% of votes counted, as EconoTimes previously reported.
Coalition agreements are needed to govern municipalities where no party won a majority. Johannesburg was among several major cities in that position, Reuters reported. The ANC’s National Executive Committee was preparing to discuss the party’s approach to coalition negotiations on Nov. 12, Reuters reported. The national vote decline also put the party’s election performance under scrutiny.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu rejected a TimesLive report that Ramaphosa had considered leaving the party leadership after the election, calling it a “fabrication,” Reuters reported. She said the leadership collective was not urging him to go.
Mbeki has previously criticized Ramaphosa’s record, Reuters reported. The two have been political rivals for decades; the ANC chose Mbeki over Ramaphosa to succeed Nelson Mandela.
The ANC’s next leadership election is set for December 2027. Reuters said Ramaphosa is expected to leave the party post at that vote after serving two five-year terms.