Overview
- More than 15.9 million people cast ballots in the local elections, giving an estimated turnout of about 54.5 percent and prompting overnight counting that started after polling closed on Wednesday.
- The IEC has scanned and captured a large share of results, reporting roughly 68 percent of votes processed by early Friday and urging parties not to publicise unverified tallies while audits and query resolution continue.
- National tallies with major shares captured show the ANC narrowly leading on about 31–32 percent and the DA close behind, but the DA is ahead in several key Gauteng metros including Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
- The Northern Cape completed its count first, with the ANC topping that provincial result on just over 41 percent and securing 191 council seats, while smaller parties such as the MK Party, ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance have made notable early gains.
- With many councils likely to be hung, parties will enter detailed coalition negotiations to form local administrations, a shift that will determine service delivery, council leadership and political alignments ahead of the 2029 national vote.