South Africa’s ANC Leads at 31.7% With 68% of Municipal Results Captured

South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) led the provisional municipal election count with 31.72% after approximately 68% of results had been captured nationally by 3 a.m. local time on Friday, 6 November 2026, according to a time-stamped report from public broadcaster SABC.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) followed on 24.94%, with the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) on 8.74% and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on 6.11%. The ANC's lead over the DA in that snapshot was 6.78 percentage points. These are **partial results, not final certified national or municipal outcomes**.

The update materially changes the picture from TFNOS's 5 November report when 18% had been counted. At 08:01 on Thursday, that earlier snapshot put the ANC on 31.36% and DA on 31.04%, a gap of just 0.32 percentage points. The later 3 a.m. Friday figures show the gap widening as more districts were processed; they do not establish that any votes were changed or that the early report was incorrect.

The 4 November local government elections choose municipal councillors across the country. A nationwide share is an indicator of the overall voting pattern, but it does not decide who will control each municipality. Council-specific vote allocations, ward outcomes and proportional-representation seats determine governing possibilities, with coalition talks expected where no party wins a majority.

SABC reported that KwaZulu-Natal was emerging as an important battleground, with MKP ahead in the provincial picture, and that at least ten councils were headed toward outcomes without a single-party majority. Those descriptions reflect the state of counting at the time of the broadcaster's report, not final declarations.

In a separate account of metropolitan results, Eyewitness News reported that the DA led in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay, while MKP had a substantial lead in eThekwini and the ANC remained the largest party in Buffalo City without an apparent outright majority. These local snapshots were published while counting continued, and their percentages must not be mixed with the later national 3 a.m. tally.

Eyewitness News also reported that the Electoral Commission had received about 800 objections from parties and set a Friday 5 p.m. deadline for complaints affecting outcomes, with a final announcement expected on Sunday, 9 November. Objections are part of the election process; their existence alone does not establish manipulation or wrongdoing.

The next material questions are which councils the Electoral Commission formally declares, how it resolves objections, and whether coalition agreements produce governing majorities. TFNOS will report further only when official certified results, decisions on objections or coalition outcomes materially change the story.