In blow to ANC, opposition DA mayors elected in major S.African cities

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party cheer at a rally ahead of the November 1 local government elections in Cape Town, South Africa, October 29, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/File Photo

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's largest opposition party won mayoral posts in three major cities in the country's economic heartland, a blow to the governing African National Congress (ANC) in the wake of its worst-ever election result.

Mayoral candidates from the ANC's main rival the Democratic Alliance (DA) won in the three metropolitan areas up for grabs in the country's most populated province of Gauteng: Johannesburg, Tshwane which includes the administrative capital Pretoria and Ekurhuleni, where the busiest airport is located.