We Lost Votes Because Of Marches – Oscar Mabuyane Blames Undocumented Foreigners For ANC’s EC Drop

ANC Eastern Cape leader Oscar Mabuyane says the party is not performing at its best because of internal and external challenges, and he believes anti-undocumented immigration marches also affected its support. His comments come as the Eastern Cape results remain partial, with 83% of voting districts declared, and the figures so far show the ANC still leading the province by a wide margin.

At this stage, the ANC has **45.94% of the vote**, down from **62.99% in the 2021 local government elections**. The DA is on **19.07%**, compared with **15.25% in 2021**, and the SACP is on **6.13%**, a party that did not have a separate figure in the previous round. The drop of more than 17 percentage points for the ANC is significant, even though the party remains ahead of its nearest rival. It means the ANC still needs coalition partners in some municipalities, or may find it harder to win outright majorities in areas where it once dominated.

Mabuyane’s explanation points to two separate pressures. Internal challenges could include candidate selection disputes, weak branch structures and frustration among members who feel the party has lost touch with communities. External challenges are harder to measure and may include the rise of other parties, growing dissatisfaction with service delivery and the broader economic strain that many households face. By naming the anti-undocumented immigration marches, he suggests that the national debate on migration has shifted voter attention and created tensions that affected the party’s campaign.

The role of migration as an election issue is contested. Some voters may have been drawn to parties that promise tougher border controls or stronger enforcement, while others may have been concerned that the marches fuelled division or intimidation in communities that include foreign nationals. The ANC is therefore facing a difficult balancing act: it must respond to concerns about jobs, housing and public services without appearing to endorse measures that could harm vulnerable residents.

For the DA, the rise in its Eastern Cape share is a notable result in a province where it has historically had less support than in the Western Cape. The gain suggests that some voters are willing to consider alternatives, particularly in towns and metros where service delivery complaints are common. The SACP’s share is also worth watching, as it may show how much support the party can attract outside the ANC’s alliance structures.

These figures are still incomplete, so the final picture could change as more voting districts are declared. Once the results are complete, the more important question will be which municipalities pass to new coalitions and how the ANC responds to its loss of ground in a province it has long regarded as a stronghold.

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