In brief
South Africa’s cabinet‑led African National Congress (ANC) retained a slim lead over the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the country’s municipal elections, with about 32% of the vote counted two‑thirds of the way through. The DA dominated major metropolitan councils, while the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party topped KwaZulu‑Natal. Preliminary figures signal shifting political dynamics and foreshadow coalition talks in key cities.
Johannesburg, Nov. 6 – In the thirteenth municipal elections since the end of apartheid, South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), has kept a narrow nationwide edge over its main rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA), as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) released provisional results late Thursday.
At the cut‑off point of 11:59 p.m. (2159 GMT), roughly two‑thirds of valid votes had been counted. The ANC had secured around 32 percent of the vote, compared with approximately 25 percent for the DA. Those figures left the ANC ahead of the DA by only about seven percentage points.
Breaking the numbers down by province, the ANC held a lead in six of the nine provinces, including the North West, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Free State. The DA was ahead in the two provinces that house the country’s largest cities, Gauteng and the Western Cape, while the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, led by former President Jacob Zuma, topped KwaZulu‑Natal.
Urban dynamics sharpened the picture. In the eight metropolitan councils, the DA led in six, stretching from Johannesburg to Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and Mangaung. Cape Town remained comfortably under DA control, where the party had garnered about 62 percent of the vote. Durban, part of the eThekwini metropolitan council, had the MK Party ahead, signaling its growing influence in that region.
IEC officials warned that the tallies were provisional. Counting, verification and auditing were still underway, with the final collation expected to be completed by the weekend. The outcomes, therefore, could shift as incomplete ballots are processed and cross‑checked.
Even in the absence of outright majorities, parties will need to enter coalition negotiations to secure municipal leadership. In Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay, the DA’s strong performance could strengthen its bargaining position, while the ANC may look to smaller parties for support to maintain influence. The MK Party’s gains in KwaZulu‑Natal could also give it leverage in local coalition talks.
These early results point to a tightening competition in South Africa’s local government, foreshadowing broader political currents that may shape the national landscape leading into the 2029 national election. The ANC’s nominal lead comes alongside growing strength for the DA in the country’s economic heartlands and the MK Party’s assertiveness in KwaZulu‑Natal, underscoring shifting dynamics across the political spectrum.
