KZN election results: 98% of votes counted as MK Party leads

KwaZulu-Natal’s 2026 local government election vote count has reached 98% completion, with the MKP maintaining its lead in the province as the final results draw closer.

According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) latest results dashboard at 4 pm, the MKP had secured 2 107 203 votes, followed by the IFP with 1 261 456 votes and the ANC with 1 249 122 votes.

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The MKP holds a lead of 13.88 percentage points over the IFP, while the contest between the IFP and ANC remains close, with just 12 334 votes separating the two parties.

The DA follows with 13.39% of the provincial vote, while the EFF has secured 1.82% and ActionSA 1.28%.

Although the MKP leads the provincial vote count with 34.59% support, the IFP is leading in the largest number of councils, with 19 compared with the MKP’s 17.

The IFP has secured control of five councils and holds 452 seats, while the MKP controls three councils and has 546 seats.

The ANC is leading in three councils, controlling one and holding 334 seats, while the DA is leading in one council with 132 seats.

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The IEC’s live electoral map shows a mixture of MKP, IFP, ANC and DA support across KZN, with different parties leading in municipalities throughout the province.

With just 2% of votes still outstanding, the final distribution of council seats and control of municipalities remains subject to the completion of counting and verification.

The figures remain provisional until the IEC finalises the election results.