By Akani Nkuna
Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi has expressed satisfaction with the party’s performance in the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE), despite projecting that it could fall two to three seats short of its target once vote counting is completed.
Addressing the media at the Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Midrand, Gauteng, on Friday, Zibi said the party had anticipated that coalitions would play a significant role in the formation of municipal governments and had positioned itself to influence those negotiations.
“I must tell you that we are happy with the outcome. One of the things we knew would happen is that there would be coalitions in many of these metros and municipalities. We knew if we worked smart, we would place ourselves in a position where we can be part of making a crucial decision about how those metros are governed and who governs,” he said.
“The target that we are going to end up with, the achievement that we are going to end up with, might be one or two seats off the target we wanted to reach, but we are very happy with the outcome.”
With 85% of the national vote counted, Rise Mzansi had secured just over 51,000 votes but had yet to win a seat. In the City of Johannesburg, where 69% of votes had been counted, the party had received its highest support at 2.16%.
Zibi said the party had strategically contested 55 of the City of Johannesburg’s 135 wards, fielding candidates who understood and could articulate the issues and challenges affecting their communities.
He said the party’s campaign had focused largely on winning over ANC voters, particularly in Johannesburg, where the governing party had experienced a decline in support.
Zibi said he was confident Rise Mzansi would secure at least three seats in Gauteng once the counting process was completed.
On coalition negotiations, he said the party was willing to engage with any political party that prioritised service delivery over positions and committed to clear timelines for implementing its plans.
He said any coalition agreement entered into by Rise Mzansi would be made public to allow voters to scrutinise the terms and hold the party accountable.
Zibi added that the inclusion of some of the party’s six pillars of government would be an important consideration during negotiations.
“We are going to talk to everybody. There is no maturity in saying that we do not want to talk to [a certain political party]. One of the reasons I listed the issues that are important, for instance, written coalition agreements, clear service delivery targets and according to the six pillars of government we have placed on the table, is important,” Zibi said.
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