Wayne Sussman: 2026 Local Elections Will Reshape South Africa DA, ANC, MK, PA & EFF Breakdown

South Africa is four months away from the 2026 local government elections and the political map is shifting fast. Election analyst Wayne Sussman joins Mike Sham to break down the biggest battlegrounds: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, KZN, and more. They unpack the DA’s pressure in Cape Town, the PA’s rise, MK’s strength in KZN and Mpumalanga, the ANC’s decline in key metros, ActionSA’s challenge, the EFF’s struggles, and why Johannesburg could become the biggest fight of the election. Topics include: • Can the DA keep Cape Town above 50%? • Is Joburg now a Zille vs Mashaba fight? • Will MK dominate KZN again? • Why the PA is hurting both the ANC and DA • The EFF’s post-2024 problem • Which metros could change hands in 2026 Sponsor: Pace Car Rental use code SONA Chapters 0:00 South Africa heads into the 2026 local elections 0:38 Sponsor: Pace Car Rental 1:35 Why the by-election season matters 2:05 Western Cape: DA’s blue wall under pressure 3:00 PA inroads in Mossel Bay, Stellenbosch, Drakenstein & Swartland 5:18 Cape Town warning signs: Mitchells Plain, Athlone & Cape Flats 6:41 Could the DA lose its Cape Town majority? 8:50 Why the PA is the DA’s biggest threat in Cape Town 10:14 The “squeeze” on election day 11:08 Eastern Cape: ANC strength and Nelson Mandela Bay battle 13:02 Why the PA could be kingmaker in Nelson Mandela Bay 15:22 ActionSA and Athol Trollip in the Eastern Cape 16:38 Northern Cape: PA rise and DA decline 19:38 Local community parties and the Northern Cape factor 20:56 Northwest: ANC, EFF, DA and Freedom Front fight 23:18 DA vs Freedom Front among Afrikaans voters 24:57 Limpopo: ANC still dominant 26:40 Mpumalanga: MK’s big tremor beyond KZN 28:35 MK’s strength among Zulu and Siswati voters 29:22 Bushbuckridge: why the ANC still holds Mpumalanga 31:56 KZN: the million-dollar question 32:24 ANC could lose hundreds of councillors in KZN 33:16 EFF collapse and IFP growth 34:37 Why eThekwini and Msunduzi matter 36:38 Could MK win eThekwini outright? 37:50 Free State: no clean audits, but ANC may survive 40:56 Sasolburg, Zamdela and Maluti-a-Phofung volatility 41:56 Gauteng: Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Midvaal, Emfuleni and Joburg 42:19 Tshwane: DA vs ANC vs ActionSA 44:49 Ekurhuleni: ANC/DA budget deal and MK factor 46:26 Emfuleni: DA wins a black township ward 47:47 Mogale City and West Rand battleground 48:19 Johannesburg: ANC hit hard in township by-elections 50:14 Ramaphosa, Phala Phala and ANC leadership pressure 53:17 DA challenges: FMD, PA rise and Jordan Hill-Lewis 54:15 Helen Zille enters Joburg mayor race 55:32 Joburg prediction: DA largest party, but no one near 50% 56:43 Patriotic Alliance: Gayton McKenzie’s political strength 58:15 EFF crisis after MK’s rise 1:00:34 Final warning: turnout matters 1:00:48 Why voters must show up in 2026 Follow @sonacoza on TikTok, Instagram, X, and Facebook Produced by Stream In Studios – https://podcast-room.co.za/ The State Of the Nation is Proudly Sponsored by Pace Car Rental https://www.pacecarrental.co.za/ Use Code : SONA for a discount today!