KIMBERLEY, Northern Cape — As South Africans prepare to cast their ballots this Wednesday, the focus of the Northern Cape local government elections turns to determining who will ultimately control municipal councils across the province. Following a turbulent term marked by fragile alliances and shifting power dynamics, voters are poised to decide the political fate of their local municipalities.
In the previous 2021 local government elections, the African National Congress (ANC) secured victory in 16 of the 26 councils in the province. However, the region also saw a significant rise in hung councils, jumping from just three in 2016 to ten in 2021. While the ANC emerged as the largest party in all ten hung councils, it fell short of securing outright majorities, forcing various coalition arrangements. Some alliances held firm, while others collapsed within months or ended up in legal battles.
The outcomes of these coalitions varied drastically across the province. In Namakwa, a coalition between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Namakwa civic movement remained stable, operating under a written agreement to rotate the mayoral and speaker positions.
Conversely, Karoo Hoogland Municipality in Sutherland experienced significant turmoil. The DA ousted the Patriotic Alliance from the mayor and speaker roles in December 2022. The ANC subsequently took control in December 2024, only to lose it to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) during bi-elections in May 2025.
Gamagara Local Municipality proved to be the most unstable, cycling through three mayors. A DA mayor was removed via court action after a mere two months in office. In Kareeberg Local Municipality, located in Carnarvon, an ANC and DA coalition maintained steady governance. Meanwhile, Siyancuma Local Municipality remained on shaky and unstable ground.
The ANC managed to secure outright majorities in Hantam Municipality and !Kheis Local Municipality through bi-elections and currently governs Kgatelopele Local Municipality in coalition with the EFF. In Thembelihle Local Municipality council Strydenburg, an EFF mayor was voted out within weeks, replaced by an ANC and Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) coalition. However, residents later held this new coalition responsible for poor service delivery.
Addressing the shifting political landscape, a political analyst serving as a spokesperson on the region’s governance trends emphasized that coalition governance is now the established future of South African politics. The analyst urged political parties to avoid delaying coalition discussions until the last minute.
“They need to get to the point of not treating coalition governance [in the] period after the elections as the continuation of elections,” the analyst noted, stressing the need for mature and forward-looking cooperation.
With smaller parties and civic movements emerging for the upcoming polls, voters are presented with a broader array of choices. Public opinion polls indicate that South African citizens generally endorse multi-party and coalition governments, provided they are constructive, cooperative, and focused on community development and service delivery.
Come November 4, voters from Carnarvon, Calvinia, and Kathu will deliver their final verdict. The central question remains whether the electorate will reward political stability or punish the parties responsible for recent political shakeups.
