2026 election results: it’s ANC versus DA as early counting begins
Early results from the 2026 local government election are coming in as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) counts the ballots, with the ANC and DA emerging as clear leaders.
This early result, reflecting just 13.5% of districts reporting, broadly aligns with what many polls ahead of the election had captured.
According to the Newsday Election Results Portal, which tracks the live results from the IEC, the ANC is currently sitting with a 32.45% share of the vote nationally, with the DA close by at 30.34%.
Smaller parties, including the PA, MK, FF+ and EFF are sitting between 4.5% and 5%.
Of course, this is still a very early picture, reflecting only a few wards – things will change significantly over the coming days as more votes are finalised.
The results will be officially announced within seven days.
Announcing the closing of the polls and the start of counting on Wednesday evening (4 November), the IEC outlined the process to be followed.
The votes are counted at the station in the presence of political agents and observers, ensuring transparency and trust in the electoral process.
After all the result slips have been independently audited by all the necessary parties, they are released. These are the results released to the public.
The IEC will announce the final results and municipal council seat allocations within 7 days.
The process is outlined below
| Step | Process |
|---|---|
| 1 | All ballot boxes are accounted for, and agents are asked to confirm the seal numbers. |
| 2 | Seals are broken, and ballot boxes are opened. Special vote envelopes are opened, and ballots are mixed with the rest. |
| 3 | The numbers are checked against ballots received and votes cast. The ballot paper statement is completed. |
| 4 | Ballots are counted in each party, or candidates’ totals are recorded. Unclear choices are set aside to determine their status at the end of counting. |
| 5 | Results slips are captured in duplicate and countersigned by agents at the voting station. The other copy is captured with a VMD and processed at the IEC local office in the presence of political representatives. |
All eyes on Gauteng
One of the key focus areas of the 2026 election is battleground metros like Johannesburg and Tshwane, where voters were out in numbers as the city suffered multiple service delivery failures.
Political parties have sent their heavyweights to contest for leadership of the City of Joburg, including DA stalwart Helen Zille, who has been campaigning for mayor.
Current results in the city indicate a strong lead for Zille’s campaign, but this is a very early indication, as only 3% of the votes have been counted.
In Tshwane, where around 5% of the votes are in, there’s a three-way split forming between the DA, Action SA and the ANC.
Again, this broadly aligns with polling from the metro, which indicated that coalition governments in the metros were likely to be a permanent fixture.
The metro with the highest count so far – Buffalo City, at almost 20% – has the ANC in the clear lead at 45%, with the UDM in closest opposition at 22%.
To keep on top of the vote counts as they happen, you can make use of the Newsday Election Results Portal, which gives a clear picture of the results on desktop and mobile.
The portal offers all election data since 1999, making it easy for visitors to track changes in support for different political parties.
The election results include those for municipalities, provincial legislatures, and the national assembly.
Using the interactive map, users can zoom in to a local government region to see the results for that municipality.
The portal will be updated in real time to keep visitors up to date with the latest results from South Africa’s 2026 local government elections.
Visit the Newsday Election Results Portal here.
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