Haggling begins as parties vie for control of hung councils

The contest for control across several hung municipalities in the Eastern Cape has moved to intense backroom negotiations as political parties position themselves to form governing coalitions. After losing outright majorities in key councils, including its metropolitan bastion of Buffalo City, the African National Congress faces complex talks with potential partners while smaller parties leverage their newly won kingmaker status.

While ANC provincial leaders insist they are prepared to govern as a minority if talks collapse, opposition groups such as the United Democratic Movement have firmly ruled out working with the governing party. As national leadership structures step in to steer the bargaining process, ideological divides and stringent policy demands are already testing the prospects of stable local government pacts.