LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026: DA draws coalition red lines as Nelson Mandela Bay results take shape

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Nelson Mandela Bay is open to coalition negotiations should it not achieve an outright majority, but will not work with the EFF or uMkhonto Wesizwe party.

The DA has been leading the vote count in Nelson Mandela Bay since Thursday, and as at 10.40pm, with 73% captured, its share of the vote stood at 41.04 as counting continued, followed by the ANC with 27.52% and the EFF sitting on 5.33%.

The South African Communist Party (SACP), contesting local government elections independently for the first time, had secured 3.95% of the vote by 10pm, making it the fourth-largest party in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Speaking from the IEC Results Operational Centre in Gqeberha on Thursday, DA provincial leader Andrew Whitfield said the DA Federal Executive would convene at the weekend to discuss the framework through which the party will negotiate coalitions.

“As soon as we have a much more accurate idea of the results, we will be in a position to look at each metro on its merits and evaluate what the possible permutations are for different coalitions. So, yes, we are open to negotiations, but we are not prepared to go into government just for the sake of being in power.”

Whitfield said the past 10 years had been marked by unstable coalitions in Nelson Mandela Bay, which he blamed for a deterioration in service delivery and governance.

The DA says any coalition it forms must be with parties that share its values and vision for Nelson Mandela Bay.

“We are not going to govern with the EFF and uMkhonto Wesizwe party, and as far as possible, we want to avoid governing with parties that we don’t need to govern with. So we would look at smaller parties that broadly share the same idea of wanting stability, good governance and service delivery, and that is the negotiation departure point rather than positions and power.”

The DA’s position has not deterred the EFF. Mayoral candidate Sinawo Tambo said if the DA believes it can form a government without the EFF, it is welcome to try.

Tambo cautioned, however, that coalition-building was not as simple as making public declarations.

“If they think they can secure mayorship, government or executive positions without the EFF, then they are welcome to make that attempt. The EFF is going to use whatever leverage it has to ensure it’s also in government and implement its policies.”

Asked whether the EFF was open to working with the DA, Tambo said the election results had left parties with little choice but to consider their options.

He said the EFF would assess the political landscape in Nelson Mandela Bay and consider which parties were most closely aligned with its policies.

ANC response

The ANC’s Nelson Mandela Region said in a statement on Thursday that the provisional results showed a “significant decline” in its support compared with 2021, and that regional leadership took “collective responsibility”.

It said the result carried a message from residents who still live with dry taps, failing infrastructure and unstable council politics. Many of its own members and supporters, it said, stayed at home or voted for other parties, disappointed by divisions during candidate selection and other matters. The party would await the IEC’s official declaration on Sunday before making any final determinations.

The ANC indicated that its coalition negotiations will be handled by the party’s national top seven rather than regional structures.

SACP weighs in

The SACP, which contested local government elections independently for the first time, also weighed in on the prospect of a coalition government. Mayoral candidate Zanoxolo Wayile thanked those who had voted for the party, saying it would not abandon their mandate should it enter government.

“The party is making a statement in the metro. It’s a historic achievement because it will be the first time as the current generation that voted for the SACP in an election. This will go down in history.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the SACP in Nelson Mandela Bay had made inroads with close to 5% of the vote.

Wayile said the SACP would approach coalition negotiations with the interests of the people as its priority.

He said the party would not engage with any party associated with fraud and corruption, or those that believed the municipality should be “surrendered” to business interests and capital.

“We want to ensure that anyone who agrees with ending the tendering system and building an ethical and capable state can work with us. However, we will be guided by our national and provincial leaders as we have no framework to have those discussions as yet.”

Whitfield said some parties that secured only one or two council seats wanted to call the shots in coalition negotiations without carrying the responsibilities that came with being a larger party.

He said the DA wanted partners who would put good governance, service delivery and stability at the centre of coalition negotiations, with positions discussed only once those priorities had been agreed on.

“This is not about power, but stability.”

Whitfield said that when the DA put together a 10-party coalition led by Retief Odendaal in 2022, it went into negotiations with a draft coalition agreement and a service delivery turnaround plan. However, he said, some of the smaller parties were more interested in negotiating positions than agreeing on the principles and priorities of the coalition.

The coalition eventually fell apart in May 2023, when Odendaal was voted out as mayor in a motion of no confidence.

“We are saying ... we cannot negotiate with a gun against our head about positions first as opposed to values and principles. The voters will send us a signal through the final results, and we need to find the right partners in that mix.”

Musical chairs

Political commentator Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast warned this week that the expected presence of several smaller parties in the new council could make coalition negotiations resemble a game of musical chairs.

He said the smaller parties could emerge as kingmakers, with their participation likely to play a significant role in determining who forms the next government.

He said the coalition talks would be based on what benefits each of the parties wanted, “because they care for what’s in it for them. They will demand seats in the mayoral committee so they can lead certain portfolios. So it depends on how they outmanoeuvre each other.”

After a long campaign, Whitfield said the DA in the province was pleased to see strong blue shoots of growth. 

“We always campaigned for a majority because the DA has always been the biggest party in the metro since 2016 and in 2021 only by a few thousand votes. We have now extended that lead, which means we are closer to a majority than we’ve been in a very long time.

“We hope that more votes that will come will bring us much closer to that majority, but we are the biggest party by a significant margin, which puts us in a very good position to build a stable government once the final results are declared,” said Whitfield. DM