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African People’s Convention (APC) party leader, Themba Godi.
The African People’s Convention (APC) says coalition governments will be a key feature of the upcoming local government elections.
The party is discussing coalition frameworks and candidate deployment at its Election Summit taking place in Johannesburg, this weekend. It says it is ready to enter coalitions in hung municipalities, provided governance principles are met.
WATCH | The African People’s Convention has convened its Central Executive Committee meeting and Election Summit in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. This as the party prepares for the upcoming local government elections. SABC news politics reporter Zara Groenewald has more. pic.twitter.com/Kk5IW9nxyW
— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 25, 2026
The APC has identified several metros as potential battlegrounds.
“We are more than willing and are preparing ourselves to be part of any coalition. From a principal point of view, we are open to discussing with anybody and everybody who may come to us and say, ‘Look, we would want to form a coalition with you.’ Whether we accept or do not accept, a party will be based on the extent to which our governance programme addresses the needs of the people,” says Party leader, Themba Godi.
The weekend programme includes a review of organisational performance, membership growth and election targets, as well as discussions on the broader political climate.
“The elections teams from the various provinces and some of the candidates that have already been identified will be meeting to craft our strategic and tactical line in relation to the elections. We would love that by the end of Monday, everyone should be clear about what they need to do, within what timelines, what are the targets that we have set, and what do we think they need to do to achieve those targets, and what should be our message to our people,” explains Godi.
The APC leader says they will contest in most provinces, but the party is prioritising capacity to avoid overstretching its structures.
“We intend to contest at least eight of the nine provinces that excludes the Western Cape. We’ve deliberately delayed our movement into the Western Cape, looking at our own internal capacity. We don’t want to be overstretched. Now, we have allowed the provinces to determine, based on the realities on the ground, which municipalities they are going to contest, and which municipalities do they think were best and better organized, so that we can then target.”
Discussions are also expected to focus on candidate selection, campaign programmes and coalition frameworks ahead of the elections.
