DA leads Tshwane as IEC declares 2026 elections free and fair

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officially declared the 2026 Local Government Elections free and fair on Sunday, following the finalisation and declaration of results for all 213 municipal councils.

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya commended voters, political parties, independent candidates, election officials, observers and stakeholders for their contribution to the electoral process.

“It is something to be celebrated. May our democracy endure,” said Moepya at the IEC’s operational centre in Johannesburg.

Of the 29.2 million registered voters, about 14.9 million cast their ballots, resulting in a national turnout of 52%. This represents an increase of 6.1 percentage points compared with the 2021 local government elections.

President Cyril Ramaphosa also thanked South Africans for participating, emphasising that democracy does not end at the ballot box.

He said the authority to govern comes from the people and is entrusted to elected representatives to exercise it in the public interest.

“At its heart lies a simple but profound principle articulated in the Freedom Charter: that the people shall govern and the authority to govern comes from the people. It is not inherited. It is not owned by any political party. It is not the permanent possession of those who hold public office. It is entrusted by the people to those whom they elect, and it must always be exercised in their interests. That is the meaning of our democracy,” Ramaphosa said.

Countrywide, the ANC received 30.76% of the vote and secured 3 246 council seats, while the DA came second with 24.64% and 1 695 seats.

With all votes counted and proportional-representation (PR) seats allocated by Saturday, the DA emerged as the largest party in the City of Tshwane.

According to the IEC dashboard at 13:07 on Saturday, the DA secured 74 seats (ward and PR seats) and 34.37% of the vote. ActionSA followed with 48 (ward and PR) seats and 22.08% support, while the ANC obtained 44 (ward) seats and 20.22% support. The ANC was not accorded any PR seats.

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) secured 17 PR seats and 7.63% support, while the EFF received 13 PR seats and 5.77% of the support.

Other parties securing PR representation included MKP (four seats), SACP (three) and PA (two). Rise, SPPSA, AIC, ACDP, Mayibuye, ATM, Bosa, SDP and UAT each secured one PR seat.

The municipality has 214 council seats, comprising 107 ward councillors elected directly by residents and 107 PR councillors allocated according to parties’ share of the vote.

DA mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink acknowledged that the party had hoped to secure an outright majority but said its increased support strengthened its negotiating position.

“I am not completely happy, if I am honest. We wanted that majority,” Brink said, welcoming the party’s growth and higher voter turnout.

He highlighted increased DA support in township wards, including a 17% voting share in Hammanskraal, and welcomed the party’s victory in Eersterust.

Brink said the DA would respect the election outcome and approach coalition negotiations with humility, openness and principled determination.

DA federal leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said the party wanted to build partnerships around good governance, stable administration, zero tolerance for corruption, merit-based appointments, sound financial management and improved basic services.

ActionSA also welcomed its electoral performance, highlighting increased representation in the Tshwane metro.

Caucus spokesperson Henriette Frölich said the party had grown from 19 PR seats in 2021, when it won no wards, to 27 ward councillors in 2026. “Not too bad for a six-year-old party,” she said.

National chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party was encouraged by its support across Tshwane, particularly in Atteridgeville, and believed it had strong prospects in coalition negotiations.

ActionSA highlighted support across various wards, including areas in Pretoria West, Akasia, Lotus Gardens, Mamelodi, Mabopane, Ga-Rankuwa and Soshanguve.

The ANC has raised concerns about alleged voting discrepancies in the metro and nationally, saying it intends to refer the matter to its legal team.

ANC spokesperson Joel Masilela told Rekord the party had identified Tshwane wards where it believed voting may have been compromised and was considering legal action. These concerns were also reported to the IEC, according to Masilela.

He alleged that some voters who had completed registration processes were missing from voting station lists.

Masilela said the party wanted the alleged irregularities investigated to establish whether votes had been incorrectly recorded or excluded.

The ANC’s claims have not been independently established. The IEC confirmed that recounts had taken place in some Tshwane wards, including wards 97 and 192, on Saturday.

The recounts should be distinguished from the ANC’s stated intention to challenge results in other wards. The party’s allegations do not, in themselves, establish that election results were compromised.

The IEC announced that, as of Saturday afternoon, it had received 197 countrywide objections, with 54 dismissed, eight withdrawn and two upheld. The IEC was approached for comment on the ANC’s allegations but had not responded by the time of publication.

Moepya confirmed during his speech at the announcement of the results that Section 65 of the electoral legislation makes it possible to adjudicate objections even after an election was declared free and fair.

VF Plus Tshwane leader Willie Spies welcomed the party’s performance, saying it had achieved 30% growth compared with its 2021 result.

He thanked about 70 000 Tshwane residents who voted for the party, adding that the VF Plus had replaced the EFF as the municipality’s fourth-largest political party.

The election results leave the metro facing coalition negotiations, with parties needing to find common ground to establish a stable administration.

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