DA Leads in Five Big Metros as Counting Continues in SA’s Most Contested Local Elections

South Africans are watching closely as vote counting in the country’s most tightly fought local government elections continues, with early results showing the Democratic Alliance pulling ahead in most major metros.

As of 22:00 on 6 November, the DA was leading in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and Tshwane, according to the latest figures shared by News24. The African National Congress held the lead in Buffalo City and Mangaung, while the uMkhonto weSizwe Party was ahead in eThekwini. These numbers paint a picture of a highly competitive election where no single party is dominating the big cities the way it once did.

In Cape Town the DA sat comfortably on 57.85%, well clear of its rivals. Johannesburg showed the DA at 38.16%, with the ANC and ActionSA trailing further back. Ekurhuleni had the DA on 31.32%, and Tshwane showed a similar pattern at 33.71%. Nelson Mandela Bay recorded the DA at 44.54%. Meanwhile, Buffalo City had the ANC at 41.94% and Mangaung at 33.91%. In eThekwini the MK Party led with 40.48%.

These results come after voters went to the polls on 4 November to choose councillors for all 213 municipalities across the country. The elections have been described as the most contested in years because many metros and smaller councils look set to end up hung, meaning no party will win an outright majority and coalitions will be needed to form local governments. Nationally, with a large portion of votes already counted, the ANC was hovering around 31%, the DA near 24%, and the MK Party close to 10%. This marks a clear drop for the ANC compared with the 2021 local elections, when it secured about 46% of the vote.

Party leaders have begun speaking about the need for stable coalitions that put residents first, especially on issues such as service delivery, water and electricity. The Independent Electoral Commission is still verifying and capturing remaining ballots at the national results centre, and final seat allocations will only be confirmed once all voting districts are fully counted.

For now, the picture remains fluid in several metros, and South Africans are following the live updates to see which parties will ultimately control their local councils in the months ahead. The outcome of these elections is expected to shape local governance and set the tone for national politics heading toward 2029.

Source: https://x.com/News24/status/2118798271413878826?a=-c_8-imoVUVohk8YtDc&s=19

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