In brief
South Africa’s municipal elections are still underway, with the African National Congress holding a slim nationwide lead of about 32% versus 25% for the Democratic Alliance as two‑thirds of votes are tallied. The DA dominates in metropolitan councils, and the MK Party leads in KwaZulu‑Natal, signaling shifting dynamics ahead of the 2029 national polls.
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) held a slim nationwide lead over its main rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA), as vote counting continued in the country’s local government elections, provisional data released by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Thursday indicate. With roughly two‑thirds of valid votes counted by 11:59 p.m. (2159 GMT) on Nov. 6, the ANC had secured about 32 percent of the vote, while the DA held roughly 25 percent, according to the IEC’s real‑time results.
The ANC was leading in six of the country’s nine provinces—North West, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Free State—while the DA dominated in Gauteng and Western Cape, and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party led in KwaZulu‑Natal, reflecting a growing contest across the nation.
In metropolitan council contests the DA was ahead in six of the eight metropolitan municipalities, including Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and Mangaung, and appeared poised to retain control of Cape Town, where it had secured about 62 percent of the vote. The MK Party was leading in eThekwini, which includes Durban.
The IEC cautioned that these results remain provisional as counting, verification and auditing continue, and that the final collation process is expected to conclude by the weekend. Coalition negotiations will likely determine leadership in several major cities, particularly Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay, where mayors are chosen by municipal councils rather than by direct vote.
These early numbers underscore a tightening competition in local government and signal shifting political dynamics ahead of the 2029 national election, with the ANC retaining a nationwide tallied lead but facing increasing pressure in the country’s economic heartland and major urban centres.
