Here are the final 2026 local government election results for SA’s eight metros
· Citizen
With grand pomp and ceremony, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has confirmed the official tallies of the 2026 local government election.
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Despite its overall decline, the ANC was still the most popular party nationally and in two metros, but well behind its opponents in the major economic hubs in Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) won an outright majority in Cape Town, and was the most voted-for party in the Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay municipalities.
In their debut local government election, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party were the most popular in eThekwini, but fell short of securing a dominant position.
Embracing the glitz in celebrating the week’s success, IEC chair Mosotho Moepya compared the electoral process to conducting an orchestra.
“It is about bringing together many different instruments, talents, voices and temperaments. Each has its own contribution to make and put together, this comes out truly well.
“Each one of us played in this election a crucial role, and while we may not always produce the same sound, the ability that has come out of this election was truly one that, to us, was indeed truly South African,” said Moepya.
Eight metro results for 2026 elections
The top of the metro leaderboards stayed much the same since Friday night, fluctuating by fractions of a percent as the IEC built up to the announcement of the official results on Sunday.
Here are the top 10 parties as they finished in each of the eight metropolitan municipalities:
Johannesburg
The most publicised mayoral race saw DA fall short of an outright majority, with ActionSA and the ANC having massive coalition decisions ahead of them.
- DA: 34.79%
- ANC: 20.25%
- ActionSA: 16.27%
- EFF: 6.52%
- MK: 5.57%
- IFP: 2.46%
- PA: 2%
- FF+: 1.83%
- Rise Mzansi: 1.78%
- ATM: 1.06%
Tshwane
Again, the DA won a large portion of the voter share, but incumbent coalition partners ActionSA and the ANC secured enough to reinstate Nasiphi Moya’s previous administration with the assistance of smaller partners.
- DA: 34.37%
- ActionSA: 22.07%
- ANC: 20.22%
- FF+: 7.63%
- EFF: 5.77%
- MK: 1.96%
- SACP: 1.19%
- PA: 0.65%
- Rise Mzansi: 0.57%
- Security Personnel Party of SA: 0.52%
Ekurhuleni
Sticking to the trend in Gauteng, voters favoured the DA, but at volumes that still leave the door open for coalitions to scupper the aspiration of the blue party.
- DA: 30.68%
- ANC: 22.11%
- ActionSA: 18.5%
- MK: 7.02%
- EFF: 6.49%
- FF+: 4.95%
- PA: 1.55%
- IFP: 1.17%
- SACP: 0.8%
- ATM: 0.71
Cape Town
Although short of incumbent mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis’ Thursday pronouncement of 58%, the DA won a comfortable victory in the Mother City.
The ANC was the second most popular party, followed by 12 parties who secured between 3.77% and 0.58%.
- DA: 56.42%
- ANC: 13.95%
- PA: 3.77%
- EFF: 3.73%
- FF+: 3.42%
- ActionSA: 2.75%
- Al Jamah: 2.38%
- Good: 2.29%
- CCC: 2.23%
- UDM: 1.21%
eThekwini
More than 10% short of majority they craved, the MK party’s voter share could see them suffer a repeat of the national and provincial elections where they were denied power by a unified opposition coalition.
- MK: 38.29%
- DA: 25.45%
- ANC: 16.43%
- IFP: 6.79%
- ActionSA: 2.85%
- EFF: 1.62%
- FF+: 0.86%
- ATM: 0.79%
- ERPM: 0.62%
- PA: 0.46%
Mangaung
The ANC secured its second metro win by a whisker and could still see itself retain the council by pooling together seats of previous coalition partners.
- ANC: 33.91%
- DA: 33.49%
- EFF: 8.59%
- Freedom Front Plus: 5.92%
- PA: 4.34%
- ActionSA: 2.72%
- SACP: 1.57%
- NSDF: 1.16%
- ATM: 0.93%
- ACIM: 0.89%
Nelson Mandela Bay
The home Gqeberha, the DA are closer here to 50% than any of the other hung metros, and need only a handful of coalition partners to secure the council.
- DA: 44.17%
- ANC: 25.48%
- EFF: 5.55%
- SACP: 3.19%
- PA: 3.04%
- FF+: 2.48%
- UDM: 2.41%
- Mayibuye: 1.93%
- ActionSA: 1.81%
- MK: 1.18%
Buffalo City
The ANC had a strong showing this Eastern Cape stronghold, but UDM mayoral candidate Nqabayomzi Kwankwa stated the voters wanted change, hinting on Saturday that the ANC would not be coalition options.
- ANC: 41.93%
- UDM: 18.39%
- DA: 16.85%
- EFF: 6.79%
- SACP: 4.45%
- ATM: 2.04%
- PA: 1.69%
- ActionSA: 1.63%
- FF+: 1.13%
- MK: 0.92%