ANC suffers huge defeat at the polls

Ruling party has presided over the nation virtually unopposed since 1994

The African National Congress lost its grip on local government in Tshwane, home of the South African capital Pretoria, as results on Saturday gave the opposition Democratic Alliance a second big win in the ANC's worst election since the end of apartheid.

The results of Wednesday's voting have reshaped the political landscape in South Africa, where the ANC has ruled virtually unopposed since it ended white-minority rule in 1994, led by Nelson Mandela.