DA Takes Lead in Emfuleni Local Municipality With 41% as 2026 LGE Count Hits 95 Percent
- The DA surged ahead in Emfuleni Local Municipality during the 2026 Local Government Elections, pulling well clear of all rival parties
- Vote capturing in Emfuleni reached 95% completion, though officials faced delays in finalising the tally, with one ward still outstanding
- The results mark a dramatic shift from 2021, when the ANC led the municipality by a wide margin over the DA
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GAUTENG — The Democratic Alliance is leading the vote count in the Emfuleni Local Municipality during the 2026 Local Government Elections, with counting across the area reaching 95% completion, though delays in finalising the tally have drawn public concern.
SABC News reporter Heidi Giokos confirmed that vote capturing stalled before concluding, with Ward 008 still outstanding as election officials worked to process the remaining voting districts.
DA surges ahead in Vaal region
With 95% of votes captured, the DA recorded 41.06% of the vote, amounting to 151,682 votes — a margin that placed the party substantially ahead of its nearest competitor. The ANC followed in second position with 23.91%, while the EFF received 6.03%. ActionSA trailed slightly behind at 5.72%, with the Freedom Front Plus rounding out the top five at 5.65%.
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The results represent a significant realignment of voter support in the Vaal region. In the 2021 municipal elections, the ANC held a commanding lead in Emfuleni, securing 38 council seats to the DA's 24. The 2026 returns suggest that position has reversed substantially.
View Giokos's tweet on X:
Emfuleni's history of municipal distress
Emfuleni Local Municipality has long been among the most troubled municipalities in Gauteng, burdened by persistent service delivery failures and prolonged financial distress. The municipality, which covers the Vaal Triangle area including Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, has faced interventions and oversight measures in recent years as infrastructure and basic services deteriorated.
The scale of the DA's lead in a municipality where the ANC previously dominated reflects how deeply voter frustration with municipal governance has affected support patterns in the region. Final results for Emfuleni remain pending until outstanding voting districts, including Ward 008, are fully captured and verified by the Electoral Commission.
Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma slams Ramaphosa
in a related article, Briefly News reported on Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma’s criticism of President Cyril Ramaphosa after the ANC’s support fell sharply in South Africa’s 2026 local government elections.
The ANC received about 31.2% of the national vote, while the DA projected it had won more than one million votes from Black South Africans. The results point to shifting voter priorities and a changing political landscape, with coalition talks expected in several municipalities.
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Source: Briefly News
