ANC mulling over dumping DA for ActionSA to survive 2026 local government elections

Cornered, bleeding support and running out of allies, the ANC is now mulling over whether to dump its Government of National Unity (GNU) partner after the 2026 local government elections.

Insiders close to the top seven say the option is firmly on the table, fuelled by fury at what the ANC calls Helen Zille's arrogance and betrayal while the ANC was battling in court.

Instead of sticking with the DA, the ANC has been quietly sounding out ActionSA, and depending on the outcome of the elections, it could offer Herman Mashaba's party two metros in exchange for its cooperation to retain power in municipalities.

It would be a dramatic break from the GNU, and a sign of just how far the ANC's fortunes have fallen. The party that once governed alone is now weighing who to bargain with for survival, and it is considering choosing a smaller partner over the DA, its national coalition partner, because trust between the two has collapsed.

According to the sources, the idea is not being taken lightly. It is being driven by growing anger inside the ANC's top leadership over how the DA, and Zille in particular, conducted itself during the ANC's recent court battles.

In the ANC's telling, the DA positioned itself as an opponent rather than a partner when the ANC was vulnerable, using the moment to score political points instead of showing solidarity.

That perceived betrayal, coupled with what the sources describe as Zille's arrogance in coalition dealings, has hardened attitudes at the top. The feeling is that the DA wants to dictate terms, humiliate the ANC, and claim credit for governance while blaming the ANC for every failure.

The sources further said the once-ruling party was on the verge of holding an emergency National Executive Committee meeting over the preliminary results, as the scale of the losses becomes clear, and the future of the DA relationship will be central to that discussion.

"Remember the ANC knows what is going on now. They have been given the results slips and have an idea where the votes are going before the announcement, so there is no need for them to wait for the final results," the insider said.

The numbers explain the panic.

With counting at around 35% nationally, the ANC was hovering at about 31.9% to 32.1% on the national ward ballot, narrowly ahead of the DA on 28.5% to 29.0%. ActionSA was nationally on just 2.8% to 3.1%, but its strength is concentrated where it matters most for the ANC: Gauteng.

In Gauteng, the DA was leading with around 37% to 38.5%, followed by the ANC on just 19.5% to 20.4%, with ActionSA in third on 14.5% to 15.5%. In Johannesburg, the DA was on about 40.3% to 40.7%, the ANC on 16.7% to 17.1%, and ActionSA on 15.4% to 15.5%. In Ekurhuleni, the DA was on 42.3% to 43.7%, the ANC on 15.5%, and ActionSA on 15.0%. In Tshwane, the race was even tighter, with ActionSA leading on 28.5% to 29.0%, the ANC on 27% to 28.1%, and the DA on 19.3% to 21%.

That is why ActionSA matters far beyond its national percentage. In the three Gauteng metros, ActionSA is the kingmaker.

Without it, the ANC cannot govern Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni or Tshwane. With it, the ANC could cling to power in at least two metros, even as voters punish it at the polls.

The offer of two metros, according to the sources, is the price of that survival being discussed. The ANC could hand Mashaba's party control of two metros, likely in Gauteng where ActionSA is strongest, in exchange for ActionSA's cooperation to keep the ANC in power in other municipalities.

It would be a high-stakes gamble. It would give ActionSA executive power, mayoral chains and budgets, while allowing the ANC to claim it still governs key cities. But it would also confirm what voters already suspect: the ANC can no longer win outright, it can only negotiate its way back into office.

For ActionSA, the deal is tempting. The party has campaigned as an alternative to both the ANC and the DA, promising clean governance and competent administration. Taking two metros would prove it can govern at scale. But it would also tie its brand to the ANC at the very moment the ANC is at its weakest, risking the perception that it has been bought.

For the DA, even the ANC mulling the move would be a public rupture. The GNU was meant to stabilise the country after the ANC lost its national majority in 2024. If the ANC now refuses to work with the DA at local level, it raises questions about whether the national arrangement can survive at all.

Mashaba's party has not confirmed the negotiations, and the ANC has not publicly confirmed that it is considering cutting ties with the DA. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because coalition talks and NEC discussions are sensitive and ongoing.

ANC Chief Whip in Parliament, Mdumiseni Ntuli, dismissed the claims, saying if there were a special NEC meeting in the near future he would have been invited to discuss the ActionSA matter.

DA Federal Council Chairperson Ashor Sarupen declined to comment on the matter.