JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 6 — South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) maintained a narrow nationwide lead over its main rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA), as vote counting continued in the country’s local government elections, according to provisional results released by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) late Thursday.
With approximately two-thirds of valid votes counted by 11:59 p.m. (2159 GMT) Thursday, the ANC had secured about 32 percent of the vote, compared with approximately 25 percent for the DA, the IEC’s real-time results showed.
The ANC was leading in six of the country’s nine provinces — North West, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Free State.
The DA was ahead in Gauteng and Western Cape, while the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, was leading in KwaZulu-Natal.
In metropolitan council contests, the DA was ahead in six of the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities, including Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and Mangaung.
It was also on course to retain control of Cape Town, where it had secured approximately 62 percent of the vote. The MK Party was leading in eThekwini, which includes Durban.
The results highlight shifting political dynamics in South Africa, with the ANC retaining its nationwide lead but facing growing competition in major urban centers, particularly in Gauteng, the country’s economic heartland.
The IEC cautioned that the results remained provisional as counting, verification and auditing continued, with the final collation process expected to be completed by the weekend.
Coalition negotiations are expected to play a decisive role in determining the leadership of several major cities, particularly Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay.
As mayors are elected by municipal councils rather than directly by voters, parties that fail to secure an outright majority must negotiate with potential partners to form governing coalitions.
The DA’s strong performance in metropolitan areas could strengthen its bargaining position, while the ANC may seek support from smaller parties to retain influence.
The MK Party’s gains in KwaZulu-Natal could also give it greater leverage in local coalition negotiations. Although the ANC and the DA are partners in South Africa’s national Government of National Unity (GNU), formed after the 2024 general election, their cooperation at the national level does not necessarily extend to municipal politics, where they remain direct competitors.
The elections are widely seen as a test of public confidence in local politics. Public frustration over unreliable water and electricity supplies, deteriorating roads, poor sanitation and inadequate waste collection has increasingly become a key issue in local politics.
Unlike national elections, local polls directly affect the delivery of essential services, making them an important measure of parties’ governance performance.
While the latest results cannot be directly translated into national electoral outcomes, they offer an indication of the changing political landscape ahead of South Africa’s next general election, scheduled for 2029. (Namibia Daily news / Xinhua)
