DA leads in four of eight metros in early election counts
Early counts put the DA ahead in four of the eight metros, but analysts warn that unfinished counts and possible coalitions could still change the picture.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) was leading in four of South Africa’s eight metropolitan councils in initial vote counts, The Citizen reported on 7 November 2026. Analysts quoted by the newspaper link this to the party’s service delivery record in Cape Town and to the early start of its Johannesburg campaign led by Helen Zille.
Where the parties stand
According to the report, the DA also took ten council seats from the ANC in Emfuleni in Gauteng, a municipality it had expected to win only two seats in. It was also said to be leading in Metsimaholo, another ANC-run municipality in the south of Gauteng.
In Nelson Mandela Bay, with 80% of votes counted by Friday afternoon, the ANC had little chance of overtaking the DA, according to the report. In eThekwini, the MK Party appeared to have taken the metro from the ANC. In Buffalo City, the ANC remained ahead, while the DA and the UDM were competing for second place. Mangaung, an ANC stronghold, was described as a shock.
On the early national figures cited, the ANC was at 31%, the DA at 24%, the MK Party at 9% and the EFF at 6%. The count was not finished and the numbers were expected to change. The ANC was reported to be below the 40% it achieved in the 2024 national and provincial elections.
What the analysts say
Political commentator Rebone Tau said the elections were about service delivery and that voters saw the DA as representing it. He said voters in Johannesburg and Soweto want their areas to look like Cape Town.
Independent analyst Goodenough Mashego credited the DA’s "good messaging" and pointed to Zille’s arrival at a Soweto rally in a gusheshe, a BMW 323 or 325i, holding a bottle of beer. He said this resonated with township residents. He also said the DA benefited from ANC failures such as crumbling Johannesburg roads and water shortages.
Zille said her party had "tripled or quadrupled" its support in black communities. She said different parties now have black support, which she called healthy for democracy.
What this means for residents
The results are not final. Mashego warned that nobody should conclude the DA has done well in Johannesburg until township votes, particularly in Soweto, are counted. Observers also said proportional representation results could change the early picture.
Who runs a metro may depend on coalition talks. The Citizen reported that Zille is set to become Johannesburg mayor unless the ANC, ActionSA and others form an alternative coalition. Mashego suggested such a deal could offer the mayoralty to ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba. He also suggested the ANC and ActionSA might trade mayoral and speaker positions in Johannesburg and Tshwane. These are the analyst’s views, not confirmed arrangements.
For residents, the final seat tallies and any coalition deals will decide who is responsible for local services such as water, roads and safety over the next few years.
This story is based on reporting by The Citizen.
