South Africa’s political map is set to be redrawn when the Electoral Commission (IEC) formally declares the results of the 4 November local government elections, expected on Sunday. With the vast majority of ballots counted, the Democratic Alliance (DA) leads in five of the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities, former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party is ahead in eThekwini (Durban), and the African National Congress (ANC) is heading for its weakest local election showing since the end of apartheid.
The figures below are provisional and could still shift slightly as the last results and objections are processed.
Where the eight metros stand
According to The Citizen, which tracked IEC data as of Friday night, the DA was ahead in Johannesburg with close to 39% of the vote, well clear of the ANC on about 18% and ActionSA on about 16%, but short of an outright majority. In Tshwane (Pretoria), the DA had about 33%, ahead of ActionSA and the ANC, which were both in the low 20s. In Ekurhuleni, the DA led with around 31%, followed by the ANC and ActionSA.
Cape Town remains the DA’s stronghold, with the party on close to 59% and expected to keep its outright majority there. In Nelson Mandela Bay, the DA was on about 44%, ahead of the ANC on roughly 25%, but still below the threshold needed to govern alone. Briefly News reported similar figures from the IEC results dashboard, with small differences reflecting different stages of the count.
In eThekwini, MK led with about 40%, ahead of the DA on around 24% and the ANC on about 17%. The ANC was narrowly ahead in Mangaung, where it and the DA were separated by a fraction of a percentage point, and it led in Buffalo City with about 42%, but without the outright majority it held there in 2021. The United Democratic Movement, on about 18% in Buffalo City, could become a kingmaker.
ANC heads for worst local result since 1994
Nationally, early results reported by Briefly News on Thursday, with about 63% of votes counted, showed the ANC on roughly 32%, the DA on about 25% and MK on around 8.5%. A projection by the CSIR also placed the ANC near 32%. If confirmed, that would be a drop of more than 13 percentage points from the 45.6% the party won in the 2021 municipal elections, which was itself its worst local result at the time.
Hung councils have become the dominant feature of this election. Briefly News reported that 69 of the first 100 councils to be finalised had no outright winner, pointing to a record number of municipalities that will need coalition governments.
Reactions from the parties
ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe played down the decline, describing it as a sign of a maturing democracy, Briefly News reported. MK has celebrated its performance in KwaZulu-Natal, while The Citizen reported that the party has hinted at a possible court challenge over aspects of the IEC results. The DA, contesting its first local election under new leader Geordin Hill-Lewis, had predicted before the vote that it would sharply increase the number of councils it controls.
Why this matters for Africa and Nigeria
South Africa’s metros, especially Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni in Gauteng, are the country’s economic heart and home to large communities of Nigerians and other African migrants. Who controls these councils will shape service delivery, policing and local responses to immigration debates. The results also add pressure on the ANC-led Government of National Unity, in which the ANC and DA have shared power nationally since 2024.
What happens next
Once the IEC declares the results, parties will begin intense coalition talks, particularly in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini and Mangaung, where no party can govern alone. Analysts quoted by The Citizen say ActionSA’s choices in Gauteng could decide whether the DA or the ANC takes control there. New councils must then hold their first sittings to elect mayors and speakers, a process that in past elections has been marked by fragile deals and lengthy disputes.
Sources: The Citizen, Briefly News, IEC results dashboard (via media reports).
