2026 election results: 78% of votes counted as DA sweeps through Gauteng
Vote counting for the 2026 Local Government Election has passed 78%, with one of the major metropolitan cities, Buffalo City, almost at 100%.
With vote counts past the three-quarter mark, a clearer picture of the national outcome is emerging, and it closely aligns with predictions from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The ANC remains the leading party nationally, accounting for 31.9% of all votes, with the DA second at 24.3%.
The ANC has suffered a staggering loss at the polls, dropping from a national tally of 45.6% in the 2021 Local Government Elections. The DA, meanwhile, has gained, rising from 21.7% in 2021.
This outcome is quite close to CSIR’s projection modelling, which saw the ANC and DA at 31.7% and 25.8% of the vote nationally, early on.
Across the metros, the DA has swept to victory as the leading party in six of the eight major metropolitan areas, but has only managed to secure an outright majority in one—the City of Cape Town.
The two cities that skirted the DA’s “blue wave” were Buffalo City and eThekwini.
With 98.4% of the vote counted in Buffalo City, it is clear that the ANC has maintained a dominant position, with 42% of the vote. The closest party in the city is the UDM with 18%.
eThekwini had a lagged start to the vote counting and remains the lowest count among the metros. However, at 45% counted, Jacob Zuma’s MK Party is emerging as the clear leader with 42% of the vote.
All other metros have the DA in the lead, with Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay in particular proving to be a strong showing for the party, where it has 40% and 45% of the vote.
The stark reality, however, is that no political party has managed to capture outright control, heralding five years of coalitions and negotiations ahead.
The electoral commission is expected to release the outcome of the local government vote and the allocation of seats on the 257 municipal councils over the weekend.
Note: the CSIR updates its predictions as votes come in. We have included the initial prediction for each city for posterity.
2026 election results – South Africa 78% counted
| Party | 2021 Result | CSIR 2026 (prediction) | 2026 Current (78.1% counted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 45.6% | 31.7% | 31.9% |
| DA | 21.7% | 25.8% | 24.3% |
| MK | – | 9.0% | 9.3% |
| EFF | 10.3% | 6.0% | 6.2% |
| ActionSA | 2.3% | 5.0% | 4.8% |
City of Johannesburg – 47.5% counted
| Party | 2021 Result | CSIR 2026 (prediction) | 2026 Current (47.5% counted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA | 26.1% | 33.3% | 39.8% |
| ANC | 33.6% | 19.4% | 17.6% |
| ActionSA | 16.1% | 16.2% | 15.7% |
| EFF | 10.6% | 6.4% | 7.0% |
| MK | – | 4.9% | 5.0% |
City of Tshwane – 69% counted
| Party | 2021 Result | CSIR 2026 (prediction) | 2026 Current (69% counted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA | 32.0% | 33.0% | 31.4% |
| ActionSA | 8.6% | 23.6% | 23.4% |
| ANC | 34.6% | 20.9% | 22.1% |
| VF+ | 7.9% | 7.7% | 6.6% |
| EFF | 10.7% | 5.6% | 6.1% |
City of Ekurhuleni – 62.2% counted
| Party | 2021 Result | CSIR 2026 (prediction) | 2026 Current (62.2% counted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA | 28.7% | 30.2% | 29.4% |
| ANC | 38.2% | 22.2% | 22.4% |
| ActionSA | 6.6% | 19.3% | 18.5% |
| MK | – | 7.0% | 7.1% |
| EFF | 13.6% | 6.1% | 6.3% |
City of Cape Town – 57% counted
| Party | 2021 Result | CSIR 2026 (prediction) | 2026 Current (57% counted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA | 58.3% | 57.1% | 61.8% |
| ANC | 18.6% | 14.0% | 9.3% |
| PA | 1.5% | 3.7% | 3.8% |
| VF+ | 1.6% | 3.2% | 3.0% |
| EFF | 4.1% | 3.7% | 3.5% |
Nelson Mandela Bay – 85.1% counted
| Party | 2021 Result | CSIR 2026 (prediction) | 2026 Current (85.1% counted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA | 39.9% | 41.1% | 44.9% |
| ANC | 39.4% | 22.7% | 25.8% |
| EFF | 6.4% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| SACP | – | 3.8% | 2.5% |
| UDM | 1.0% | 3.9% | 3.0% |
Buffalo City – 98.4% counted
| Party | 2021 Result | CSIR 2026 (prediction) | 2026 Current (98.4% counted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 59.4% | 41.9% | 42.1% |
| UDM | 1.0% | 14.1% | 18.1% |
| DA | 18.5% | 18.2% | 16.8% |
| EFF | 12.0% | 7.5% | 6.9% |
| SACP | – | 5.1% | 4.5% |
Mangaung – 75.8% counted
| Party | 2021 Result | CSIR 2026 (prediction) | 2026 Current (75.8% counted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA | 25.7% | 31.2% | 36.0% |
| ANC | 50.6% | 37.3% | 32.0% |
| EFF | 11.3% | 8.9% | 8.0% |
| VF+ | 4.5% | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| PA | 1.8% | 3.6% | 4.8% |
eThekwini – 45.2% counted
| Party | 2021 Result | CSIR 2026 (prediction) | 2026 Current (45.2% counted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MK | – | 37.4% | 41.9% |
| DA | 26.0% | 25.3% | 22.3% |
| ANC | 42.1% | 17.5% | 17.0% |
| IFP | 7.0% | 7.6% | 7.4% |
| EFF | 10.5% | 2.1% | 1.6% |
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