Robben Island Turns Its Back on the EFF and ANC in 2026 Local Government Elections
- ActionSA claimed the top spot in Robben Island's local government election, edging out the ANC and EFF in a district of only 48 votes
- The result marked a shift from 2021, when the EFF had claimed the island's vote in the previous municipal cycle
- ActionSA's Cape Town mayoral candidate Dereleen James revealed the party had visited the island only once during campaigning
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Source: Getty Images
WESTERN CAPE — ActionSA has emerged as the most supported party on Robben Island following South Africa's local government elections, overtaking both the ANC and the Economic Freedom Fighters in what has been described as an unexpected outcome for the party.
A total of 48 ballots were cast across the island's single voting district, which is home to museum staff, tour guides, lighthouse keepers, and National Ports Authority employees. Twelve political parties contested the vote, with ActionSA finishing first on 11 votes, followed by the ANC on 9. The EFF and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party each received 5 votes, while the Democratic Alliance and the Patriotic Alliance each secured 4. The African Transformation Movement received 3 votes, the Freedom Front Plus and the United Democratic Front 2 each, and the South African Communist Party, the Inkatha Freedom Party, and Al Jama-ah each received 1 vote.
A surprise result for ActionSA
ActionSA's Cape Town mayoral candidate Dereleen James acknowledged the win was not anticipated, noting that their campaign team had made only a single brief visit to the island. The result stands in contrast to the more sustained presence that rival parties maintained on the island during the campaign period.
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The outcome represents a shift in the island's recent political leanings. The ANC held majority support in the 2016 municipal elections, and the EFF went on to claim the district in 2021. ActionSA's 2026 victory marks the third different party to lead the island's vote in three successive election cycles.
Robben Island within the broader Ward 54
Despite finishing first on the island, ActionSA's performance there does not translate into an independent council seat. Robben Island forms one voting station within Cape Town's Ward 54, an Atlantic Seaboard ward that also covers Camps Bay, Clifton, Fresnaye, Bantry Bay, Sea Point, and Green Point.
Across Ward 54 as a whole, the Democratic Alliance retained a commanding lead, securing close to 88% of the aggregate vote. Robben Island was the only voting station in the ward where the DA was not victorious, making it an isolated but symbolically notable exception within an otherwise dominant DA stronghold.
More on the 2026 local government elections
- Briefly News recently reported on Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma’s criticism of President Cyril Ramaphosa after the ANC’s vote share plummeted, with the DA projecting over one million Black votes.
- Helen Zille’s husband, sons and German Jewish roots came into focus as the DA mayoral hopeful’s family stepped under the spotlight following the DA’s election lead.
- A viral TikTok showed Diepsloot streets being cleaned, with residents crediting DA mayoral candidate “Gogo Zille” while South Africans online debated whether it was a genuine effort or a political move.
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Source: Briefly News
