Cape Town's final council: DA wins 133 of 235 seats, 7 new parties in
With every vote counted, the DA holds 133 of Cape Town's 235 council seats. The council grows to 22 parties, with seven newcomers led by ActionSA on seven seats.
The DA has won 133 of the 235 seats on the City of Cape Town council, 15 more than the 118 it needs to govern alone, with all 829 voting districts counted (Rateweb, from IEC results files). Cape Town is the only one of the eight metros where a single party won an outright majority.
The new council grows from 17 parties to 22, and seven of them are there for the first time (EWN).
How many seats did each party win?
| Party | Share of ballots | Ward seats | PR seats | Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DA | 56.4% | 86 | 47 | 133 |
| ANC | 14.0% | 32 | 1 | 33 |
| Patriotic Alliance | 3.8% | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| EFF | 3.7% | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| VF Plus | 3.4% | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| ActionSA | 2.8% | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Al Jama-ah | 2.4% | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| GOOD | 2.3% | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| National Coloured Congress | 2.2% | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| UDM | 1.2% | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| ACDP | 1.2% | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| SACP | 0.9% | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| ATM | 0.9% | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| MK Party | 0.6% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Africa Restoration Alliance | 0.5% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cape Muslim Congress | 0.5% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| BOSA | 0.4% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| PAC | 0.3% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| People's Movement for Change | 0.3% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| African Independent Congress | 0.2% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cape Independence Party (CAPEXIT) | 0.2% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Hopeful Leaders Democrats | 0.2% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Source: Rateweb Cape Town results, based on IEC results files updated 9 November 2026. Shares count ward and PR ballots together, which is what seats are allocated on. Official figures: IEC results site.
The DA and ANC won all 118 wards between them. Every other party's seats come from the proportional representation (PR) list, which tops up parties so their total seats match their share of the vote (Rateweb).
Which parties are new on the council?
ActionSA did best of the newcomers with seven seats. The SACP and the ATM got two each, and the MK Party, BOSA, the People's Movement for Change and the Hopeful Leaders Democrats one each (EWN).
The SACP, standing in a local election for the first time since splitting from the ANC, took about 21,000 votes in the city and seven seats across six Western Cape councils (EWN).
Who lost ground?
The Democratic Independent Party and the United Independent Movement are no longer on the council. The ACDP lost three seats, the Cape Coloured Congress two, and the Africa Restoration Alliance and CAPEXIT one each (EWN).
How many people voted?
Cape Town had 2,158,976 registered voters. About 2.31 million valid ballots were counted, and because every voter casts a ward and a PR ballot, that works out to roughly 1.16 million voters (Rateweb).
When does the new council sit?
Every council must hold its first meeting within 14 days of being declared elected, which puts it at about 22 November 2026 (Inside Politics). With 133 seats, the DA can elect the speaker and executive mayor without needing a coalition partner. Our explainer covers how the 22 November deadline works.
FAQ
How many seats did the DA win in Cape Town in 2026?
The DA won 133 of the 235 seats on the City of Cape Town council, more than the 118 needed for an outright majority, with 56.4% of ballots.
How many seats did the ANC win in Cape Town?
The ANC won 33 seats: 32 ward seats and one PR seat, with 14.0% of ballots.
Which new parties won seats on the Cape Town council?
ActionSA (7 seats), the SACP (2), the ATM (2), and the MK Party, BOSA, People's Movement for Change and Hopeful Leaders Democrats (1 each).
How many parties are on the new Cape Town council?
22 parties, up from 17 before the 2026 local elections.