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Vote counting under way in local government elections

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Ongoing: Elections Hot

Empty hall with rows of plain wooden voting booths on a concrete floor.

The Electoral Commission (IEC) says over 5% of votes are counted after polls closed on Wednesday night. The ANC leads with 19 seats so far, and the DA has seven.

The Patriotic Alliance has four wins so far, and ActionSA has won Laingsburg in the Western Cape. uMkhonto weSizwe has one seat, in uMzimkhulu. The South African Communist Party lies sixth nationally and has not won any wards yet.

In the Western Cape, 49 of 1,623 voting districts were declared by 2am on Thursday, about 3%. Counting is making progress in about 15 of the 30 municipalities. The Democratic Alliance shows early gains in several of them, but too few districts have declared for a clear picture. The provincial IEC expects provisional results on Friday.

In Limpopo, only 1% of votes were counted by 3am on Thursday. Results are coming in from 110 voting stations set up in farming areas after farmworkers complained about distant polling stations. Limpopo Electoral Operations Manager Itumeleng Seanego said capturing and verification are going well.

Key facts

Who
Electoral Commission (election management body, says over 5% of votes have been counted); African National Congress (leading party so far with 19 seats); Democratic Alliance (has won seven seats so far); Patriotic Alliance (has four wins so far)
What
Vote counting is under way after the Local Government Elections polls closed on Wednesday night; the ANC leads with 19 seats so far, and the DA has seven, while provisional results in the Western Cape are expected on Friday.
When
4 November 2026
Where
South Africa, Western Cape, Northern Cape
Status
Reported

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