From zero to 72,000 votes: Afrika Mayibuye defies the odds to lay its foundation for 2029

Floyd Shivambu’s newly formed Afrika Mayibuye Movement established a initial national footprint in the 2026 local elections, securing over 72,000 votes without major funding and advocating for plurality based coalition rule in hung councils.

By Zuko Komisa

Barely months after founding the Afrika Mayibuye Movement (AMM), party president Floyd Shivambu stood at the 2026 Local Government Elections Results Operation Centre (ROC) to declare a decisive breakthrough.

Running without formal branch networks or heavy financial backing, the newly formed party established a permanent footprint across South Africa’s electoral map.

For Shivambu, securing over 72,000 votes nationwide and ranking 12th overall making AMM the top-performing debutant party without prior parliamentary or municipal representation was the primary goal.

The movement recorded strong regional momentum in Limpopo, topping 20% of the vote in Greater Giyani and over 14% in Collins Chabane.

“We went into these elections with the aim of planting the seed of Africa Maibuye movement in the entirety of South Africa. And we have successfully done so… More than 80% of our candidates did not have candidate posters. But we were able thus far, we have more than 72,000 voters who have voted for us. We went into these elections without money, without any resources—we just relied on our words.”

— Floyd Shivambu, President of Afrika Mayibuye Movement

Addressing anticipated coalition talks in hung councils, Shivambu rejected post-election maneuvering and called for structural governance rules. He argued that the party with the highest vote share should automatically hold the executive mayoralty giving the DA Johannesburg, the MK Party eThekwini, and the ANC where it leads.

He warned that small-party “minority mayors” reduce executive office to “a mere poster without any influence.”

Shivambu also pointed to voter rejection of established parties and blamed historical coalition failures on factional pettiness rather than policy.

“The voters are always correct… They’ve demonstrated that they are dissatisfied with political parties that are in government and did not fulfill their commitments… The reason why there couldn’t be agreement amongst the progressive forces was because of childishness… If our agenda is about the people, it must be very easy to unify all the progressive forces.”

— Floyd Shivambu

Dismissing minor voting-station irregularities, Shivambu praised the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for managing a complex election.

With municipal seats locked in, AMM’s focus immediately pivots to building community branches and launching local support programs ahead of the 2029 national elections.