Government7 November 2026

122 hung councils at 98% counted. What happens next for your metro

As of 08:00 on Saturday 7 November 2026, 98% of voting districts are counted and 122 of 190 declared councils are hung. Only Cape Town among the eight metros looks set for a single-party majority. Here is what that means for coalitions, mayors and services.

By Reported Team

Transparent ballot box filled with folded ballot papers at a voting station — Photo: WrS.tm.pl via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

122 of 190 declared municipal councils are hung after Saturday morning's count, with 98% of voting districts captured. Of the eight metros, only Cape Town is on track for a single-party majority. The other seven still need coalitions or minority arrangements before a mayor can be elected.

Those figures come from MzansiData's live IEC tracker at 08:00 Africa/Johannesburg on 7 November 2026 (190 of 213 councils declared; 68 with a majority). IOL separately reported counting near 97% earlier on Saturday, with parties already positioning for coalition talks.

How do the national numbers look so far?

The running national vote share (ward and PR ballots combined) is still led by the ANC, but well below its 2021 local-election level. Figures below are from MzansiData / IEC data at 08:00 on 7 November 2026 and are not a final national winner.

Party	Vote share so far	Seats allocated so far	Councils led	Outright majorities so far
ANC	31.0%	3,033	115	48
DA	24.6%	1,370	27	11
MK Party	9.6%	672	18	3
EFF	6.3%	454	0	0
ActionSA	5.6%	170	0	0
IFP	4.7%	461	18	5

IOL puts estimated turnout at about 54.5% of 29.2 million registered voters (about 15.9 million people), up from 45.86% in 2021. The DA leads the Western Cape and Gauteng vote aggregates so far; the MK Party leads in KwaZulu-Natal, according to that report.

Which metros are hung?

Metro	Count status (07:00s SAST)	Largest party so far	Seats / majority needed	Status
Cape Town	~96% VDs	DA ~56.9%	235 seats / 118	On track for DA majority (Rateweb)
Johannesburg	90% VDs	DA ~36.1%	270 / 136	Hung if pattern holds
Tshwane	99% VDs	DA ~34.6%	214 / 108	Hung if pattern holds
Ekurhuleni	~95% VDs	DA ~31.4%	224 / 113	Hung if pattern holds
eThekwini	~89% VDs	MK ~39.9%	223 / 112	Hung if pattern holds
Nelson Mandela Bay	100% VDs, declared	DA 53 seats	120 / 61	Hung
Mangaung	100% VDs, declared	ANC 36 seats	101 / 51	Hung
Buffalo City	100% VDs; seats still settling	ANC ~41.9%	100 / 51	Heading hung

Declared seat tallies for Nelson Mandela Bay and Mangaung are from MzansiData / IEC. Algoa FM / Daily Maverick matches NMB at DA 53, ANC 32, EFF 7 in a 120-seat council. Vote shares for metros still counting are from the same IEC-linked trackers (Rateweb, MzansiData).

EWN reported on Friday that in Gauteng every municipality except Midvaal was hung on emerging results, with Midvaal's DA on about 62%.

What happens next for mayors and services?

The IEC has seven days from voting day to declare the election under the Electoral Commission Act, with a public target around 11 November 2026. Once results are declared, Section 29 of the Municipal Structures Act starts a 14 calendar-day clock for each new council's first meeting, where councillors elect a speaker and then a mayor or executive mayor (Daily Maverick explainer).

In a hung council:

Parties negotiate a coalition or confidence-and-supply deal.
The municipal manager (or an MEC designee) calls the first meeting.
Councillors elect a speaker by secret ballot if there is more than one nominee.
The speaker then runs the election of the mayor or executive mayor.

Day-to-day water, electricity, refuse and billing continue under the municipal administration while that happens. New political priorities (rates, tariffs, capital projects) usually show up when the new council passes a budget or adjusts the existing one, not overnight on results night. Government coalition FAQs note there is no fixed national formula for who must talk to whom: parties have to find a majority that can elect office-bearers.

IOL reported DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis saying informal outreach had already started, with roughly two-thirds of councils expected to need coalitions. SABC carried similar comments.

When will the last results land?

Twenty-three councils were still undeclared at 08:00 on Saturday. Dense metros such as Johannesburg, eThekwini and Ekurhuleni were still capturing districts. EWN said the IEC hoped to finish dense municipalities by about midday Saturday. Final gazetted councillor lists and the formal declaration can still follow after capture ends, especially if objections are lodged.

Where can I check my own council?

Treat any seat projection for a metro that is still counting as provisional until the IEC marks that council complete.

FAQ

How many councils are hung so far?

As of 08:00 on 7 November 2026, MzansiData's IEC-linked tracker showed 122 hung councils out of 190 declared, with 68 councils having a single-party majority.

Which metros still need a coalition?

On emerging and declared results, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, Mangaung and Buffalo City all lack or are heading without a 50%+1 seat majority. Cape Town is on track for a DA majority.

When must a new mayor be elected?

After the IEC declares the election results, each council must hold its first meeting within 14 calendar days under the Municipal Structures Act and elect a speaker, then a mayor or executive mayor.

Will my rates or water stop while parties talk?

No. Municipal staff keep running day-to-day services. Political changes to budgets, tariffs and major projects usually follow once a new council and mayor are in place and take decisions.

When are final results due?

The IEC has seven days from voting day to declare the election, with a public target around 11 November 2026. Capture of the last voting districts was expected to finish over the weekend of 7 to 8 November.