Former African National Congress (ANC) heavyweight Mandla Msibi’s Service Delivery Party (SDP) has moved ahead of the governing party in Victor Khanye Local Municipality, as vote counting continues following Wednesday’s local government elections.
Provisional results published by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Thursday morning showed the SDP leading with 38.82% support, compared with the ANC’s 29.08%.
The figures, captured shortly after 9am, also reflected three seats each for the SDP and ANC, although neither party had secured control of the municipality.
The early performance marks an important electoral development for the party founded by Delmas businessman Thabo Motau in January, months before Msibi joined as its national convener and mayoral candidate for the City of Mbombela.
Msibi, a former ANC provincial treasurer, was unveiled as the SDP’s national convener in May after resigning from the governing party following his unsuccessful attempt to retain his position at the ANC’s March provincial conference.
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At the time of Thursday morning’s update, the IEC’s national results dashboard indicated that counting was approximately 27% complete. The figure represented national counting progress rather than the percentage of votes counted specifically in Victor Khanye.
ANC’s narrow majority under threat
Victor Khanye, formerly known as Delmas Local Municipality, falls under the Nkangala District Municipality and is situated along Mpumalanga’s western border with Gauteng.
The ANC entered Wednesday’s elections defending a fragile majority after winning nine of the municipality’s 17 council seats in the 2021 local government elections.
The governing party had secured eight of the nine wards, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) winning the remaining ward.
The African Voice Progressive Party emerged as a significant opposition force in that election, securing three council seats, while the DA also obtained three. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Freedom Front Plus each secured one seat.
The ANC’s ward-ballot support had already fallen from 63.9% in 2016 to 51.3% in 2021, reflecting the steady erosion of its electoral dominance.
In the 2024 national elections, the ANC attracted approximately 47.6% of the national-ballot vote in the municipality, demonstrating that its support had slipped below the halfway mark.
Thursday’s provisional figures suggest that the SDP could become the principal beneficiary of the latest shift in local political loyalties.
The DA was polling at 9.26%, followed by the EFF at 2.66% and former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party at 1.61%.
SDP’s Delmas roots
The SDP was established in Delmas on January 10, 2026, under Motau, who became the party’s founder and national coordinator.
Motau launched the organisation in response to concerns about municipal service delivery, including water shortages, deteriorating roads, electricity interruptions and unemployment.
The party subsequently recruited Msibi, who brought more than two decades of political experience gained through ANC structures in Mpumalanga.
Motau welcomed Msibi into the party during a gathering in Pienaar, outside Mbombela, on May 19.
The former ANC provincial treasurer was subsequently announced as the party’s national convener and mayoral candidate for Mbombela.
The SDP’s early lead in Victor Khanye is therefore significant because the municipality is not merely another electoral battleground for the party. It is where the organisation was founded and began building its political structures.
Msibi casts ballot in Mbombela
Msibi voted on Wednesday at the Impumelelo voting district in Ward 2 of the City of Mbombela, according to photographs and information published on the SDP’s official Facebook page.
The party shared pictures of its national convener standing in front of an IEC election banner, smiling and giving two thumbs up after casting his ballot.
His participation in the election marked another chapter in his political career, this time as a senior figure in a party competing against the ANC, where he previously occupied influential provincial positions.
The SDP was also showing signs of establishing itself in Mbombela, where Msibi has been politically active for years.
Provisional results placed the ANC ahead with 46.81%, followed by the DA at 17.66% and the EFF at 11.08%.
The SDP was polling at 6.79%, ahead of the MK Party, which had attracted 5.53%.
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Although the SDP’s performance in Mbombela remained considerably smaller than its showing in Victor Khanye, the figures suggested that the party was beginning to establish a presence beyond its founding municipality.
The ANC won 59 of Mbombela’s 90 council seats in the 2021 municipal elections, giving it a comfortable majority.
However, the latest provisional results suggest a more competitive political environment, with several opposition parties competing for support.
The contest also carries considerable political significance for Msibi, whose career has been closely associated with the ANC’s provincial power structures.
His departure from the governing party and subsequent association with the SDP have placed him in direct political competition with former comrades, including Mpumalanga ANC chairperson Mandla Ndlovu.
Both politicians rose through provincial political structures during the era of former deputy president David Mabuza, making their rivalry an important feature of the municipal contest.
SDP shows strength in other municipalities
Beyond Victor Khanye and Mbombela, the SDP was attracting 12.96% support in Dipaleseng, 12.79% in Steve Tshwete and 10.37% in Chief Albert Luthuli.
The party was also polling at 8.39% in Dr JS Moroka and 7.13% in Msukaligwa.
These results indicate that the SDP’s early electoral performance is not confined to a single municipality.
However, the figures remain provisional, and the final allocation of council seats will depend on the completion of counting and the IEC’s electoral calculations.
For the ANC, the unfolding contest in Victor Khanye is particularly significant because the party entered the election with only a one-seat majority.
For Motau and Msibi, the early results offer the prospect of translating their party’s electoral support into representation in municipal councils.
Whether the SDP can convert its early lead into control of Victor Khanye, independently or through a coalition, will become clearer as outstanding results are processed.
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- Former African National Congress (ANC) heavyweight Mandla Msibi’s Service Delivery Party (SDP) has moved ahead of the governing party in Victor Khanye Local Municipality, as vote counting continues following Wednesday’s local government elections.
- Provisional results published by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Thursday morning showed the SDP leading with 38.82% support, compared with the ANC’s 29.08%.
- The figures, captured shortly after 9am, also reflected three seats each for the SDP and ANC, although neither party had secured control of the municipality.
- The early performance marks an important electoral development for the party founded by Delmas businessman Thabo Motau in January, months before Msibi joined as its national convener and mayoral candidate for the City of Mbombela.
- Msibi, a former ANC provincial treasurer, was unveiled as the SDP’s national convener in May after resigning from the governing party following his unsuccessful attempt to retain his position at the ANC’s March provincial conference.
