Coalitions: MAJOR shake-up in SA politics?

Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh unpacks the latest coalition negotiations following South Africa’s 2026 local government elections and asks whether the country is entering a fundamental political realignment. With reports emerging from the ANC’s NEC that the DA should be treated as a last resort in local coalitions, Sizwe examines what this could mean for Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, including the possibility of Herman Mashaba and Nasiphi Moya leading two of Gauteng’s biggest metros. He also explores the battle for eThekwini, the prospect of an MK–IFP arrangement in KwaZulu-Natal, the finely balanced contest in Mangaung and likely outcomes in Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay. Turning to the national picture, Sizwe considers whether being frozen out of Gauteng could push the DA away from the GNU, what this could mean for Cyril Ramaphosa’s position inside the ANC, and whether a completely different coalition era could be emerging nationally and locally.