History made, promises due: DA becomes NMB’s largest party as it takes 5 wards from ANC - News24

The DA has rewritten the political map of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality by emerging from the 2026 local government elections as the City’s largest party, with 53 of the 120 council seats.

Most strikingly, with more than 289 000 votes, the party has ripped five wards from the heart of what had previously been deemed ANC strongholds.

The voters who ditched the ANC for the DA were from wards 15, 16, 25, 33 and 38, areas comprising, among others, New Brighton, Booysen Park, Sydenham, North End, Kleinskool and Amsterdamhoek.

Voters who decided to roll the dice on the DA told News24 they did so because they want water in their taps, electricity that stays on, refuse collected and a city hall that answers to them.

All eyes are now firmly on the DA’s Retief Odendaal to make good on the promises he made while reeling in the voters.

The wards that will be remembered longest from election night are not the ones the DA held, but the ones it took.

Wards 15, 16, 25, 33 and 38, long considered reliable ANC ground, turned blue.

For the residents who live there, the message sent to the DA is simple.

“We voted for change, not a promise of it. The DA said they could do it, so I decided to take a chance on them,” said a 36-year-old Ward 15 resident who lives in New Brighton and who did not want to be named.

“What I want to see is the constant sewage spills come to an end once and for all. Ageing infrastructure has to get fixed.

“We also want them to rid us of illegal dumping and beautify the open spaces in the townships again.”

In Ward 16, in Kleinskool, a woman who runs a house shop said she would not openly admit that she switched from the ANC to the DA, but she did so after years of broken promises by the ANC.

“The first thing that I expect them to do is to give us better access to clean water, because the communal taps that we use here are insufficient for so many people.”

Another resident said she was overjoyed that the DA would run the ward because it would finally mean having a “responsive ward councillor.”

She said the incumbent councillor has already proven he can get things done in the area by working for the community even before he was elected.

“I want to see refuse removal on a more regular basis to eliminate the current stench in the area and the rodents that piled-up refuse attracts.”

When the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officially declared the results on Sunday, the scale of the DA’s achievement became undeniable.

The party secured 44.17% of the total vote, a significant leap from the 39% it recorded in the 2021 local government elections.

Its council representation has grown from 48 to 53 seats, and its ward tally of 28 is the highest in the party’s history in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Odendaal, who ran an 18-month campaign across an increasingly fractured political landscape, described the result as “remarkable.”

“We received more than 289 000 votes,” he said.

“Voters united behind the DA and chose a party committed to rebuilding Nelson Mandela Bay into a city that is safe and clean, working and growing.”

He called the moment one of “immense pride” but was equally clear about what it demands.

“More importantly, however, it places us in a strong position to help shape a stable government for this metro.

“We will do everything in our power to make that a reality.”

With 53 seats in a 120-seat council, the DA does not govern alone.

Coalition negotiations, led by the party’s federal and provincial leadership, are now under way.

Odendaal drew firm lines before the ink on the results was even dry.

The EFF, which secured seven seats, and the MK Party (MKP), which won two, are off the table entirely, he said.

The DA’s federal and provincial leadership have been unequivocal on that position.

The DA’s attention turns instead to ActionSA (two seats), the FF Plus (three seats) and possibly the ACDP (one seat) as potential coalition partners.

These are the parties the DA views as more closely aligned to its values of zero tolerance for corruption, professional administration and an end to political interference in the running of the municipality.

The 2026 elections have produced a diverse Nelson Mandela Bay council.

Eight new parties have entered the fray, reshaping a landscape long dominated by the DA and ANC.

The full council composition, as declared by the IEC, is DA (53 seats), ANC (32 seats), EFF (seven seats), PA (four seats), SACP (four seats) FF Plus (three seats), UDM (three seats), Mayibuye Civic Movement (two seats), ActionSA (two seats), and MKP (two seats).

The ACDP, African Transformation Movement, PAC, United Progressive People Alliance, African Independent Congress, Democratic Movement and National Alliance each have one seat.

READ | Where did the ANC’s votes go? Here are the parties, places, and numbers

A coalition will need 61 seats to have a majority in council.

Odendaal has spoken at length about what a DA-led government would prioritise: fixing the City’s broken organogram, appointing permanent executive directors and a city manager, restoring professional administration and ending the political interference that has paralysed service delivery for years.

“We are committed to ending the instability and chaos that have undermined local governance and focusing on the urgent task of improving service delivery,” he said.

News24 surveyed 5,001 registered voters to reveal who leads, what voters want fixed, and which coalitions South Africans could support.

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