Partial results from South Africa's local elections show the African National Congress losing support not only in the big cities but also in rural areas it once dominated, Daily Maverick reports. The party is at risk of losing control of municipalities in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, and faces heavy losses across Gauteng, including in townships such as Soweto and Tembisa.
The Democratic Alliance and ActionSA are both gaining, taking votes from the ANC and the EFF, and the CSIR's election model also forecasts declines for the MK party. With the ANC on about 32% of the vote, national chairperson Gwede Mantashe said on Thursday it was too early to draw conclusions, arguing that many township areas were still to be counted and the party could still rise towards 40% or more.
Source: Daily Maverick