Cape Town – South Africa’s 2026 local government election results are beginning to trickle in after more than 12 million voters cast their ballots, with the African National Congress (ANC) narrowly leading the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the early count.
More than 12 million people voted on Wednesday, with Gauteng recording the highest turnout as voters elected municipal representatives responsible for local governance and service delivery over the next five years.
IOL reported that about 12 million voters had cast their ballots by 5pm, including three million in Gauteng, 2.5 million in KwaZulu-Natal, 1.5 million in the Western Cape and 1.4 million in the Eastern Cape.
The strong turnout followed an early surge, with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reporting that about 3.5 million people had voted by 10am.
6:56AM — 15% of votes counted:
ANC — 110 wards, 11 PR, 31.70%
DA — 64 wards, 19 PR, 31.26%
MKP — 4 wards, 5.12%
EFF — 6 PR, 4.93%
FF+ — 3 wards, 2 PR, 4.51%
PA — 12 wards, 14 PR, 4.40%
ActionSA — 2 wards, 1 PR, 2.36%
IFP — 2 wards, 2.31%#LGE2026 #ElectionResults2026 https://t.co/Dltq0Byuzi
— CAPTAIN SOUTH AFRICA 🇿🇦 (@MikeyMashila) November 5, 2026
As counting began, Reuters reported that, with about 12% of the vote counted, the ANC was on roughly 32%, narrowly ahead of the DA on 31%.
Reuters cautioned that the figures remained preliminary because only a small proportion of districts in populous Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal had reported results. A Council for Scientific and Industrial Research projection, however, put the ANC at about 32% and the DA at 26% in the final tally.
The results represent a major test for the ANC, whose support fell to 46% in the 2021 local elections after winning 62% in 2011. The party subsequently lost its national parliamentary majority in the 2024 elections.
The elections were also marked by concerns over poor municipal services, including water, electricity, sanitation, roads and waste collection. AP News reported that many voters cited deteriorating services as a reason for casting their ballots.
🗳️ #LGE2026 | ELECTION RESULTS UPDATE
The 2026 Local Government Elections results process continues to progress, with 10% of votes counted nationally.
According to the IEC’s live results dashboard:
🔹 2,538 of 23,696 voting districts have been completed.
🔹 99 of 4,485 wards have been completed.
🔹 4 of 213 municipalities have been completed.
🔹 119 of 8,825 council seats have been allocated.The counting, capturing and verification of results continue across the country as the Electoral Commission works towards finalising the election results.
Follow the latest progress through the IEC results dashboard:
🔗 https://t.co/8qFOO39Vfw
#WozaLGE2026 #SAelections2026 #GovZAUpdates
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) November 5, 2026
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who voted in Johannesburg, described the turnout as significant, saying: “The turnout of our people, as one looks at the TV screens, the queues that are all over the country, just makes this a very special and historic day.”
The vote also marked the first local government election contested by former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, which performed strongly in the 2024 national election, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.
With several major municipalities expected to produce no outright winner, coalition negotiations are likely to determine who governs key metros, including Johannesburg.
The IEC is expected to continue counting, verification and auditing before declaring the final results. The outcome will shape local government for the next five years and could have wider implications for the political landscape ahead of the 2029 national election.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
