The defining story of the 2026 elections, both in KwaDukuza and nationally, is the ANC’s declining support.

Just 15 years ago, the party commanded more than 70% of the vote in KwaDukuza. Three municipal elections later, its share has fallen to less than 25%, leaving it dependent on coalition partners if it hopes to remain in partial power.

The height of the ANC’s local popularity in 2011 coincided with Jacob Zuma’s first term as president of South Africa and his return to politics as leader of the MKP has clearly played a significant role in siphoning votes from the ruling party.

But the ANC’s poor performance cannot be attributed to the MKP alone. The DA also gained ground, recording its best local result since KwaDukuza became a single municipality in 2000.

The IFP remained remarkably consistent at 6.25%, staying within its 6-8% range over the past four elections.
However the coalition negotiations unfold, at least two of the new ‘Big 4’ parties are likely to form part of the next municipal government.

KwaDukuza council seat allocation

The MKP emerged as KwaDukuza’s largest party in its debut local government election, winning 22 of the council’s 59 seats.

With 30 seats needed for a majority, the MKP needs at least eight additional seats to govern. It could achieve this with ANC support or through a coalition with the IFP and four of the remaining five seat-holding parties, provided the Independent Alliance (IA) is among them.

If the ANC rules out working with the MKP, its most straightforward route to a governing majority would be a coalition with the DA and IFP, mirroring the existing government of provincial unity in KwaZulu-Natal.

The other parties represented in KwaDukuza are the IA (two seats, down from five in 2021), EFF (one seat, down from four), ActionSA (one seat, down from five) and African Independent Congress (AIC), which retained its single seat.

Two parties represented in the previous council, the African Transformation Movement and African Christian Democratic Party, lost their seats.

The new council will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, November 18, when councillors will elect the mayor, speaker and members of the executive committee.

KwaDukuza ward councillors

The scale of the ANC’s electoral losses in KwaDukuza is particularly evident in the ward results.

In 2021, the ANC held 27 of KwaDukuza’s 30 ward seats, with the DA holding the remaining three. The MKP subsequently won Ward 28 (Shakaskraal) from the ANC in a 2025 by-election.

In 2026, the ANC retained just five of the 26 ward seats it held going into the election, losing 17 to the MKP, four to the DA and one to the IA.

KwaDukuza voter turnout since 2000

KwaDukuza’s voter turnout percentage bounced back from a poor showing of 54% in 2021, but it remained lower than the post-2000 highs of 2016 (66.9%) and 2011 (63.2%).

Just under 60% of registered voters turned up at the polls last week.

Ward 22, which includes Salt Rock and Sheffield, saw the highest turnout of any of the KwaDukuza wards at 71.95%. It was the only ward above 70%.

Ward 4 (Shaka’s Head) experienced the lowest total turnout at 49.68%. It was the only ward below 50%.

The MKP won 12 of the 15 wards with the lowest turnout, compared with five of the 15 wards with the highest turnout.