South Africa

South Africa

LGE2016 Results: From dusk till dawn

LGE2016 Results: From dusk till dawn

At 5am on Thursday morning, the African National Congress (ANC) held the lead nationally with 33% of votes counted in South Africa’s fifth local government elections. With over two million votes counted by dawn, the balance of power in the fiercely contested metros is still not clear. Tshwane and Johannesburg remain neck-and-neck races between the two main parties while the Democratic Alliance (DA) has bolted ahead in Nelson Mandela Bay and claimed victory in Midvaal. By RANJENI MUNUSAMY.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will hold its first media briefing at 11am on Thursday where it will give an official report of audited results after a long night of counting throughout the country. Voting proceeded relatively hitch-free on Wednesday. The IEC is likely to give the first indication of voter turnout on Thursday morning.

With 33% of the ballots cast nationally counted by 5:30am, the ANC held 50.4% of the vote, the DA 33% and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) 6.3%. The ANC has won six of the eight municipalities declared overnight, while the DA won two Western Cape municipalities.

In Johannesburg, with 12% of voting districts declared in the early hours, the DA held 44.73%, the ANC 40.41% and the EFF 9.96%. In Tshwane, with 16% of voting districts declared, the race also remained tight with the DA receiving 44.8% of the vote, the ANC 42.34% and EFF 8.48%.

In the much-watched Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, 23% of voting districts were declared overnight. The DA has surged ahead with 59.9%, the ANC 31.3% and the EFF 3.76%. The DA is also far in the lead in the City of Cape Town with 30% of voting districts declared. The DA has 72.22% of the vote so far, the ANC 18.76%, and the EFF 3.19%.

In Gauteng, the DA is also ahead in the Midvaal municipality with 69% of voting districts declared.  It won over 60% of the vote and 11 of the 15 wards.  In Ekurhuleni, the DA has 72.59%, ANC 20.21% and EFF 3.51% with 18% of voting districts declared.

No results from the eThekwini Metro had yet been declared by early Thursday morning. DM.

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