SOUTH AFRICA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- Johannesburg The Democratic Alliance, the main opposition-turned-partner party, leads with 40.3%; the governing African National Congress has 16.8%.
- Tshwane ActionSA, a newer anti-corruption party, leads with 29.0%, ahead of the ANC at 28.1%.
- How much is counted Voting districts reported at 9:42 a.m. South African time: about 10% in Johannesburg, 12% in Tshwane.
- The vote South Africa held its local elections on Wednesday 4 November 2026.
- Next step The electoral commission has up to seven days to declare final results.
Early counts from South Africa’s local elections show the governing African National Congress, or ANC, losing ground in Johannesburg and Tshwane, two of the country’s biggest cities, while the Democratic Alliance leads in Johannesburg and ActionSA leads in Tshwane. The figures come from the Electoral Commission of South Africa, called the IEC, and were published at 9:42 a.m. South African time (2:42 a.m. ET) on Thursday 5 November 2026.
For US readers, the result matters because Johannesburg is South Africa’s commercial capital and Tshwane contains the capital, Pretoria. Who runs these councils affects water, power and investment decisions for companies that trade with South Africa.
Johannesburg Count
With 85 of 862 voting districts reported, about 10%, the Democratic Alliance leads the City of Johannesburg with 40.33% of votes counted so far. The ANC is second with 16.77%, ActionSA third with 15.46%, the Economic Freedom Fighters 6.22% and the uMkhonto weSizwe party 4.38%.
In the 2021 local election the ANC won about 33.6% in Johannesburg and the Democratic Alliance about 26.1%, according to the 2021 results. Early districts can lean toward one party, so these shares may move a lot as more districts report.
Tshwane Count
In the City of Tshwane, 95 of 796 voting districts, about 12%, had reported. ActionSA leads with 29.01%, followed by the ANC with 28.08%, the Democratic Alliance with 19.32%, the Economic Freedom Fighters with 7.05% and the Freedom Front Plus, a conservative party that mainly represents Afrikaner voters, with 4.53%.
The ANC won about 34.6% in Tshwane in 2021 and the Democratic Alliance about 32.0%, according to the 2021 results. ActionSA, a party founded in 2020 and led by former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba, was not on the ballot in 2016.
Who the Parties Are
The African National Congress has governed South Africa since 1994 and is led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Democratic Alliance is a centre-right party that runs the Western Cape province and shares power with the ANC in the national unity government formed in 2024.
ActionSA is a newer party that campaigns on crime and corruption in big cities. The Economic Freedom Fighters is a left-wing party, and the uMkhonto weSizwe party was founded by former president Jacob Zuma.
The National Picture
At 9:46 a.m. the IEC counted 23% of voting districts nationwide, with the ANC at 31.68% and the Democratic Alliance at 29.68% of votes counted. These shares cover only districts that reported first and are not a forecast of the final result.
About 29.2 million people were registered to vote on Wednesday 4 November 2026, according to the IEC. The commission has up to seven days to declare final results and results are expected over the weekend.
What It Means for You
If you invest in South African stocks or bonds through US funds, the key question is whether the two big cities fall into coalitions between several parties. Hung councils, where no party holds a majority, can delay budgets and contracts.
Travelers need not change plans, since the elections do not change visa or entry rules. Companies that sell to Johannesburg or Tshwane should watch which parties form the next governing coalitions.
What Is Not Known
It is not known which party will finish first in either city once all districts report. The IEC feed also does not yet show how many seats each party would win.
Coalition deals are not known either, because they depend on final shares and on talks that have not begun. We will update this story when the commission publishes more results.
More: South Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times. See also what to watch in the local elections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Leading in Johannesburg?
At 9:42 a.m. South African time on 5 November 2026, the Democratic Alliance led with 40.33% of votes counted. Only about 10% of voting districts had reported.
Who Is Leading in Tshwane?
ActionSA led with 29.01% at the same time, just ahead of the ANC at 28.08%. About 12% of voting districts had reported.
When Will Final Results Come?
The IEC has up to seven days to declare final results, and results are expected over the weekend. Early shares can change a great deal as more districts report.
Sources: Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), 2026 local government elections results dashboard, figures published at 9:42 a.m. and 9:46 a.m. South African time on 5 November 2026; Electoral Commission of South Africa, 2021 local election results for comparison.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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