South Africa has recorded a sharp increase in the number of hung municipalities following the 2026 local government elections, with 138 councils now requiring cooperation between political parties to govern, compared with 66 in 2021. If those negotiations go awry the implications could extend to the collapse of the national unity government.
Three broad coalition options are under discussion by South Africa's political leaders and each of the three is littered with pitfalls and obstacles that may prove very difficult to overcome.