Politics · South Africa · Local elections
ANC and DA neck and neck as South Africa’s local election count begins, with turnout heading for about half of voters
Early results from small voting districts gave the ANC 34.4% and the DA 33.6% overnight. About 12 million people had voted by 17:00 on Wednesday, and most metro results are not expected before Friday.
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s two biggest parties were running almost level in the first hours of counting after Wednesday’s local government elections. With more than 26,600 votes counted, the ANC had 34.37% of the national tally and the Democratic Alliance (DA) 33.58%, with the Freedom Front Plus third on 8.79%, SABC News reported at 02:23 on Thursday. The Electoral Commission (IEC) warned that the figures were preliminary and could change as more voting districts were processed overnight.
The first numbers come mainly from small rural voting districts, which count fastest, so they say little yet about the big cities. The very first result came from Driefontein Farm in Ward 6 of the Blue Crane Route Municipality in the Eastern Cape, where the DA won 58.82% and the ANC 26.47%, SABC News reported. “It’s wonderful to be leading the leaderboard from the start,” DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille said at the results centre in Midrand, News24 reported. The first ward to be declared went the other way: the ANC won Ward 3 in Kamiesberg in the Northern Cape with 52.54%, according to SABC News.
A long count ahead
By 03:00 only 1% of votes in Limpopo had been counted, and by 02:00 about 3% of the Western Cape’s 1,623 voting districts had finished, with 49 declared, SABC News said. The provincial IEC in the Western Cape expects provisional results on Friday. News24 said results were expected throughout Thursday and Friday, with the IEC expecting to certify the final result over the weekend. Live figures are on the IEC results dashboard.
Turnout looked uneven. About 12 million voters had cast ballots by 17:00, or 44% of registered voters, on top of 1.4 million special votes cast on Monday and Tuesday, and final turnout was projected at about 50%, News24 reported. Its reporters found long queues in many suburbs but quiet stations in large black townships such as parts of Soweto, where heat above 30°C and dry taps kept many people at home.
What to watch in the metros
News24 said seven of the eight metros were positioned for coalitions. The key questions are whether the ANC holds on in Ekurhuleni and Mangaung, whether the DA becomes the biggest party in Johannesburg and Tshwane, whether it keeps its majority in Cape Town, and whether the MK Party wins eThekwini outright.
AB24’s reading from Johannesburg: treat the overnight percentages with care, since the metros, where most voters live, report last. The real picture should emerge on Friday, when the seat counts in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni show who will need partners to govern.
Sources: SABC News, 5 Nov 2026; SABC News, 4 Nov 2026; SABC News, 5 Nov 2026; News24, 5 Nov 2026; News24 live coverage, 4 Nov 2026; Electoral Commission of South Africa.
— AB24 · Johannesburg