DA claims Cape Town win before official results
The Democratic Alliance projected it would win about 59% of the vote in the City of Cape Town. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis claimed victory at a celebration outside the IEC results centre in Century City on Thursday.
GOOD national chair Matthew Cook said no ward in the City of Cape Town had been declared. He spoke when about 25% of results were counted, and called the DA claim premature. He said it undermined the work of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and showed arrogance. ANC representative Fiona Abrams also called the announcement premature.
Michael Hendrickse, the IEC provincial officer for the Western Cape, said there was nothing wrong with parties announcing their projections. The city has 118 wards, and none was officially declared at that stage.
ActionSA mayoral candidate Dereleen James said her party had won the hearts and souls of Cape Town residents. ActionSA said it was encouraged by its showing in the metro.
The DA also said its election modelling showed more than 1-million black South Africans would have voted for it in the 2026 local government elections. It said this was a first for the party.
Key facts
- Who
- Geordin Hill-Lewis (Cape Town mayor, DA); Michael Hendrickse (Western Cape IEC provincial officer); Matthew Cook (GOOD party national chair); Fiona Abrams (ANC representative)
- What
- On Thursday the DA held a celebration outside the IEC results centre in Century City, where Hill-Lewis claimed victory in Cape Town based on the party's election projections. Rival parties, including GOOD, criticised the claim as premature, while ActionSA said it was encouraged by its showing in the metro.
- When
- 5 November 2026
- Where
- Cape Town, Century City, City of Cape Town
- Status
- Reported