Knysna faces coalition government after DA takes nine seats

Update

KNYSNA NEWS - A coalition government appears to be on the cards in Knysna after no political party managed to secure an outright majority in the 2026 local government elections.

The DA emerged as the largest representative party most represented, securing nine of the 21 seats on the Knysna Municipal Council, but fell short of the 11 seats required to govern with an outright majority.

The ANC secured four seats, followed by the PA with two. The SACP, VF+, Knysna Civic Alliance (KCA), People’s Movement for Change (PMC), Choose CX (CCX) and EFF each secured one seat.

Smaller parties share remaining votes
According to the final figures, the DA received 44.41% of the vote, followed by the ANC with 18.71% and the PA with 9.97%. The SACP received 5.8%, VF+ 4.47%, KCA 2.83%, PMC 2.7%, CCX 2.56% and the EFF 2.03%.

The remaining 6.52% of the vote was shared among parties that did not secure a seat on the Knysna Municipal Council. These included KIM and PBI, which were previously represented on the council.

Coalition partners hold the key
The council has 21 seats, which means a party or coalition needs at least 11 seats to secure a majority.

Despite securing the largest share of the council seats, the DA will therefore need the support of at least two additional councillors from other parties to reach the required majority. The results place the smaller parties in an important position, as their support could determine which political grouping takes control of the municipality.

The question now is which parties will be willing to enter into coalition agreements and whether such an arrangement can provide the political stability needed to govern the municipality for the next five years.

At this stage, it remains to be seen which parties will enter into negotiations and what agreements may emerge.

For Knysna residents, the priority will be a council that can put political differences aside and focus on service delivery, infrastructure, financial management and the challenges the municipality faces.

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