2026 Local Government Elections: provisional results, national and the Vaal
Voting closed on Wednesday 4 November and the IEC is counting. This page is edited throughout the count. The numbers come from the IEC's own results dashboard, and the commentary is ours. When the two disagree, trust the IEC.
Open the official IEC results dashboardWhat we're seeing so far
The ANC leads nationally on 32.15% of valid votes, with the DA close behind on 27.83%, and that gap is the number to watch. But the bigger story right now is how few councils are actually settled. Of 213 councils, only 10 have a party in outright control, 31 are already hung, and 172 still have no outcome calculated. So this is a first read of a count that has barely started, and it would be a mistake to treat these percentages as where the country will land.
National picture
Councils with an outcome calculated: 41 of 213 (10 controlled, 31 hung, 172 not yet calculated) · Share of votes counted: not shown on the dashboard at this time
| Party | % support | Seats | Councils leading | Councils controlled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 32.15% | 477 | 22 | 8 |
| DA | 27.83% | 304 | 7 | 1 |
| MKP | 6.51% | 41 | 2 | 1 |
| EFF | 5.62% | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| VF PLUS | 3.95% | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| PA | 3.73% | 72 | 1 | 0 |
| ACTIONSA | 3.42% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| IFP | 3.01% | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| SACP | 2.57% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| SDP | 0.77% | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Other parties and independents | 10.25% | 49 | 0 | 0 |
Parties are listed by share of support. The IEC dashboard also lists RTC (0.15%, 5 seats), MUCM (0.12%, 4 seats), Other (9.52%, 37 seats) and independents (0.46%, 3 seats). Our "other" line combines them.
Gauteng and the metros
Gauteng is where this election will be read, and so far the DA leads the province on 37.28%, well ahead of the ANC on 19.81% and ActionSA on 16.05%. Only 637 of 2,836 voting districts are in, about 22%, so this is early. Still, the three big metros all lean the same way for now: the DA is out in front in Johannesburg on 39.51% and in Ekurhuleni on 37.95%. Tshwane is the one to watch. The DA leads on 29.82% but ActionSA is close behind on 24.69%, and that is a much tighter race than either of the other two. Emfuleni, where only 2% of districts are counted, is covered under the Vaal below.
| Area | Leading party | Share of vote | Second, as listed by the IEC | Voting districts counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | DA | 37.28% | ANC 19.81% | 637 of 2,836 (22%) |
| City of Johannesburg | DA | 39.51% | — | 146 of 862 (16%) |
| City of Tshwane | DA | 29.82% | ActionSA 24.69% | 168 of 796 (21%) |
| Ekurhuleni | DA | 37.95% | — | 151 of 653 (23%) |
| Emfuleni | DA | 55.42% | — | 4 of 168 (2%) |
Figures are the IEC's latest provincial and municipal reports, stamped 12:59. The IEC file lists only the leading parties for each area, so a dash means no second party is shown, not that none has votes. Full breakdowns are on the IEC dashboard.
The Vaal and Sedibeng
The DA is the leading party in all three Sedibeng municipalities so far, but those leads mean very different things. Midvaal is the one worth reading: just over half its voting districts are in and the DA sits on 57.83%. Lesedi is also about half counted, yet the DA's 32.38% is a long way from a majority, so a hung council is a real possibility there. And Emfuleni, the biggest prize in the Vaal, is barely counted. With 4 of 168 voting districts reporting, its 55.42% for the DA comes from a few stations and tells you almost nothing yet. We will not call anything in Emfuleni until far more of it is in.
| Municipality | Leading party | Share of vote | Voting districts counted | Council outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emfuleni | DA | 55.42% | 4 of 168 (2%) | Too early to say |
| Midvaal | DA | 57.83% | 21 of 39 (53%) | DA ahead, count half done |
| Lesedi | DA | 32.38% | 22 of 40 (55%) | DA ahead, no majority yet |
Vaal figures are the IEC's latest municipal report, stamped 12:59. Only the leading party in each municipality is shown here. Full party breakdowns are on the IEC dashboard.
Turnout and irregularities
National turnout and any verified disruptions will be reported here once the IEC publishes them. We only report what we can source.
Update log
13:18 · Gauteng province and the Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni metros added. DA leads all three on early counts; Tshwane is the tightest.
13:15 · Vaal and Sedibeng figures added: DA leads Emfuleni, Midvaal and Lesedi on partial counts. Emfuleni is only 2% counted.
13:10 · National party figures added from the IEC dashboard. 41 of 213 councils have an outcome.
13:00 · Page published. Count under way.
Project CBNews is a subscriber member of the Press Council of South Africa. Results shown here are provisional and are taken from the IEC's results dashboard at the time stamped above. Official results are those declared by the Electoral Commission. Spot an error? Tell us and we will correct it and note the correction here.