Hill-Lewis urges parties to put stable councils first
Ongoing: Elections Hot
DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said emerging results show about 150-160 councils, roughly two-thirds of local municipalities, will need coalition governments. He spoke at the IEC national results centre in Midrand on Friday and asked parties to rise above election divisions.
Hill-Lewis said coalition talks must put residents first. Early counts showed the MK Party leading in KwaZulu-Natal and the DA leading in several metros and the Western Cape.
In KwaZulu-Natal, with 30% of votes counted, the MK Party had 33% to 34%. The ANC had 25%, the IFP 22% and the DA 10% to 12%. With 50% of voting districts counted, the DA had 53.4% of the Western Cape provincial vote.
The DA projected about 59% of the vote in the City of Cape Town. Rival parties said the projection was premature.
ANC head of elections Mdumiseni Ntuli said many ANC members would be uncomfortable working with the DA. He cited what he called the arrogance of Helen Zille during the campaign.
Key facts
- Who
- Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA federal leader); Sy Mamabolo (IEC chief electoral officer); Mdumiseni Ntuli (ANC head of elections and chief whip in parliament); Helen Zille (DA figure discussed as possible Johannesburg mayor)
- What
- Live blog coverage of the 2026 local government election results. Hill-Lewis, addressing media at the IEC national results centre in Midrand on Friday, said about 150-160 councils, roughly two-thirds of the country's local municipalities, would require coalition governments, according to the emerging results. Early counts showed the MK Party leading in KwaZulu-Natal and the DA leading in several…
- When
- 6 November 2026
- Where
- Midrand, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal
- Status
- Reported