JOHANNESBURG, GAUTENG — The PAC election results 2026 reveal a significant milestone for the Pan Africanist Congress, marking its strongest local government performance in decades. With 99% of the votes tallied, party leadership is celebrating a dramatic surge in voter support, historic ward victories, and a newly pragmatic approach to coalition governance in South Africa’s municipal landscape.
Historic Gains and Doubled Voter Support
PAC Secretary General Apa Pooe expressed immense excitement over the party’s performance, highlighting that this is the first time since 1994 that the organization is winning numerous wards in local government elections. The 2026 municipal polls also mark the PAC’s return to key provinces, securing seats in the Northern Cape and the Free State after a long absence.
The party has successfully doubled its support base compared to the 2021 elections. Total votes surged from just over 60,000 to more than 120,000. According to Pooe, the PAC successfully met its internal strategic targets: retaining municipalities where they already had representation, securing existing seats, and establishing a registered footprint in at least half of the country’s municipalities. This widespread testing ground, Pooe noted, sets a strong foundational tone for the party heading into 2029.
A Pragmatic Shift on Coalitions
Perhaps the most notable development emerging from the PAC’s post-election review is a distinct shift in its stance on political alliances. Historically, the party had drawn strict red lines, vowing never to partner with certain political organizations like the Democratic Alliance (DA)—a posture solidified during periods of intense internal leadership squabbles.
However, the realities of the 2026 elections have prompted a strategic pivot. Pooe clarified that the PAC is now willing to engage with all political parties.
“We are very clear as an organization that at this stage there’s no way in which we can say we don’t want to talk to so-and-so,” Pooe explained, emphasizing that local government must be focused on community service delivery. He asserted that the PAC possesses a “superior logic” and is prepared to sit with any party on equal terms.
Acknowledging that coalition governments are the new reality mandated by South African voters, Pooe stressed that the party cannot isolate itself from the political arena. While the PAC is already receiving informal expressions of interest from other parties, Pooe confirmed that the National Executive Committee (NEC) must first convene to formalize an engagement strategy and mandate a dedicated negotiation team.
Concerns Over Plunging Voter Turnout
Despite the PAC’s internal successes, Pooe raised severe concerns regarding the broader democratic participation in the 2026 polls. Highlighting a stark drop in voter turnout—citing figures of 15.9 compared to 29.2—the Secretary General pointed out that over half of registered voters stayed home, a number that grows significantly when including eligible but unregistered citizens.
Pooe shared a striking observation from his visits to various voting stations. He noted long queues of families casting their ballots in “previously so-called white areas,” which sharply contrasted with the low turnout observed in African areas.
He warned that this mass apathy means that only a fraction of the population is actively choosing their leaders, allowing those who do vote to govern without a fully representative mandate. As the political landscape solidifies into a coalition era, the PAC’s message is clear: while no party can exist in isolation, the ultimate success of local governance relies on reversing the alarming trend of voter disengagement.
