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ANC and DA focus final campaigns on Eastern Cape metros

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

Both parties want outright majorities in Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City before next week's local government elections. The ANC will hold its final Siyanqoba rally in Buffalo City on Sunday, and the DA is holding its final rally in Gqeberha.

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said the final push should win his party a majority in Nelson Mandela Bay. He said the metro could become the first outside Cape Town with a solid DA majority government. Hill-Lewis and DA mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal both called the vote a make-or-break election for a metro troubled by political instability.

Nelson Mandela Bay has been under a coalition for 10 years. Speaking at the DA rally in Gqeberha, Hill-Lewis said: "We can turn it around forever,"

In Buffalo City, the ANC needs 51% for an outright majority. Recent polls put the party well below that level. The latest polls show both metros will be hotly contested, with no clear winner expected.

Key facts

Who
Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA party leader); Retief Odendaal (DA mayoral candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay); African National Congress (political party contesting the Buffalo City metro); Democratic Alliance (political party contesting the Nelson Mandela Bay metro)
What
The ANC and DA turned their campaigns to the Eastern Cape's two metros, Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City, as both try to win majorities there. The ANC will hold its final Siyanqoba rally in Buffalo City on Sunday, and the DA is holding a final rally in Gqeberha.
When
29 October 2026
Where
Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, Eastern Cape
Status
Reported

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