SA Local Government Elections 2026: Who Is Leading in All 8 Metro Municipalities
- The Democratic Alliance is leading in five of South Africa's eight metropolitan municipalities, based on provisional IEC results
- The uMkhonto weSizwe Party has displaced the African National Congress in eThekwini, but doesn't have a majority yet
- Buffalo City and Mangaung remain ANC-led, but the party no longer has outright majorities in those metros
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.
SOUTH AFRICA — Vote counting is under way across South Africa's eight Category A metropolitan municipalities following the 4 November 2026 Local Government Elections, and the provisional results paint a dramatically different political landscape from the one that existed before polling day.
With the second day of vote counting complete, Briefly News looks at who currently leads the race for the metros and whether that could change.
These statistics reflect preliminary vote-share percentages rather than finalised seat allocations, as counting continues and results remain unofficial.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
How the race for the metros is shaping up
Before the elections, the Democratic Alliance held an outright majority only in the City of Cape Town, where Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis led a stable DA administration.
That position looks set to be retained: with 80% of voting districts counted, the DA has 59.62% of the vote in Cape Town, well clear of the ANC on 12.05%.
The bigger story is Gauteng. The DA is leading in Johannesburg (39.3%), Tshwane (33.09%) and Ekurhuleni (30.28%), none of which the party previously controlled outright. In all three metros, the African National Congress and ActionSA are trailing, and hung councils appear inevitable, meaning coalition negotiations will determine who ultimately governs each city.
In Nelson Mandela Bay, with 93% of votes counted, the DA leads with 44.44% against the ANC's 25.49% and the EFF's 5.49%. Neither party has reached the 61-seat threshold for an outright majority.
ANC loses ground in former strongholds
The results carry significant implications for the ANC. In Buffalo City, where the party previously governed with an outright majority of 60.5%, the full count places the ANC at just 41.94%. The UDM has emerged in second place at 18.39%, with the DA at 16.85%, leaving the ANC short of a majority.
In Mangaung, the tightest race of any metro, the ANC leads on 33.96% with 98% of votes counted, fractionally ahead of the DA on 33.77% and the EFF on 8.47%. Either party could form a governing coalition depending on how smaller parties align.
MK Party leads in eThekwini
In eThekwini, the MK Party has taken the lead with roughly 40.48% of the counted vote, displacing the ANC, which sits at 16.89%, while the DA is at 23.53%. With 61% of the metro's voting districts counted, the outcome remains uncertain, though a hung council is expected.
Counting is ongoing across several metros. Final results and confirmed coalition arrangements are expected in the coming days. All figures below are sourced from the IEC Results Dashboard and reflect the latest available data as counting continues.
LIVE: Local Government Election results
Counting is officially underway across the country as the results trickle into the national results operations centre following the local government elections.
As ward declarations accelerate, the broader picture points toward a record number of hung councils nationwide, shifting the spotlight directly onto potential kingmakers.
Briefly News has put together a comprehensive article which is updated with results and reactions as they pour in from across the country.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
