South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly raised the possibility of stepping down as president of the African National Congress after the party's heavy defeat in this week's local government elections, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

At least five members of the ANC's National Executive Committee told the newspaper that Ramaphosa suggested he should resign, arguing that the party could not lose two major elections in a row under his leadership without consequences. The report says he proposed that the party's top seven national officials resign together, and indicated he was prepared to step down on his own if they would not.

The proposal is said to have met resistance from senior figures, including Deputy President Paul Mashatile and Second Deputy Secretary-General Maropene Ramokgopa, who reportedly suggested holding an early national conference in April instead. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu told the publication she was not aware of any such discussion among national officials.

No formal resignation has been announced, and the reported discussion concerns Ramaphosa's position as ANC president rather than his role as president of South Africa. The Electoral Commission of South Africa formally declared the 2026 local government elections free and fair on Sunday, with the ANC taking 30.89 percent of the vote and 3,164 council seats, down from 45.59 percent in the 2021 local elections.

The result follows the ANC's loss of its national parliamentary majority in the 2024 general election, when its support fell to 40.2 percent from 57.5 percent in 2019. The party failed to win outright control in any of the eight major metropolitan areas, leaving coalition talks to decide who governs cities including Johannesburg and Pretoria.