Government6 November 2026

None of SA's 8 metros decided yet: who leads your city

As of Friday morning, the IEC had still not declared any of South Africa's eight metros. The DA leads six on the PR vote so far, MK leads eThekwini, and the ANC leads Buffalo City, according to live trackers using IEC data. Counting progress differs sharply by city.

By Reported Team

Silhouette of a hand placing a ballot paper into a ballot box — Photo: Unsplash (photo-1540910419892)

The metros are still open

South Africa voted for all 213 municipal councils on 4 November 2026. By Friday morning (6 November), trackers reading the IEC count still showed 0 of 8 metros declared, even as more than three-quarters of voting districts nationally were in.

The Outlier reported about 79% of voting districts counted nationally (18,651 of 23,696), with 118 of 205 local councils decided and 83 of those hung. MzansiData, using a closely timed IEC snapshot at about 11:01 Africa/Johannesburg, had 117 of 213 councils declared, 82 hung and 35 with a party majority.

None of those national tallies finishes a metro. A metro is only decided once the IEC allocates seats and declares that council.

Who leads where (PR vote, still counting)

Live trackers summarise the party (PR) ballot while counting continues. Shares move as outstanding voting districts come in. They are not final seat results.

Figures below combine The Outlier metro PR lead and share of voting districts in, with seats needed for an outright majority from Rateweb's IEC-based metro boards.

Metro	Leading so far (PR)	Share in so far	Seats needed to govern alone
Johannesburg	DA about 39%	about 48%	136
Tshwane	DA about 31%	about 70%	108
Ekurhuleni	DA about 30%	about 63%	113
Cape Town	DA about 62%	about 57%	118
eThekwini	MK about 42%	about 46%	112
Nelson Mandela Bay	DA about 45%	about 85%	61
Buffalo City	ANC about 42%	about 99%	51
Mangaung	DA about 36%	about 76%	51

Sunday World's Friday read of IEC PR breakdowns made the same leadership pattern: the DA ahead in six metros, MK ahead in eThekwini, and the ANC ahead in Buffalo City.

What the close metros mean for you

Buffalo City is closest to a finish on the count. Outlier had it at about 99% of voting districts in, with the ANC on about 42% of the PR vote, the UDM second on about 20%, and the DA third on about 16%. NovaNews / PE Express, citing the IEC dashboard on Friday morning, said Buffalo City has 100 seats and needs 51 for a majority, with provisional seats leaving the ANC short and the council tracking as hung.

Nelson Mandela Bay was also far along (about 85% in on Outlier), with the DA leading on the PR vote.

Johannesburg and eThekwini still had under half of voting districts in on the same snapshot, so those leads can still shift.

Tshwane remains a three-bloc race in early and mid counts: the DA ahead, with ActionSA and the ANC contesting second place depending on the ballot and the snapshot (see Outlier, Rateweb and Friday IEC file notes from The People's Register).

National backdrop (not a national winner)

There is no national winner in a local election. Each council is decided on its own seats. For context only, Outlier's national PR share with about 79% counted was roughly:

Party	National PR share (provisional)
ANC	32.0%
DA	24.3%
MK	9.3%
EFF	6.2%
ActionSA	5.1%
IFP	4.8%

MzansiData's combined "overall support" snapshot (ward plus PR) at about 11:01 was similar: ANC 31.9%, DA 24.3%, MK 9.3%.

What happens next

Keep watching the IEC results dashboard for your metro and ward.
Objections under the Municipal Electoral Act have a short window after a result is announced at a voting station. Reported's how-to is here: object by the IEC Section 65 deadline.
Once a council is declared without a majority, councillors must elect a mayor within the statutory window. See our explainer: 14 days to elect a mayor after a hung council.
The IEC has pointed to a final results process running toward about 11 November 2026. Follow live tools here: where to follow 2026 local election results.

Figures in this article are provisional IEC-based tracker readings on the morning of 6 November 2026. They will change until each metro is declared.

FAQ

Have any of South Africa's eight metros been declared yet?

Not as of Friday morning 6 November 2026. Live IEC-based trackers such as The Outlier still showed 0 of 8 metros decided while counting continued.

Who is leading Johannesburg, Tshwane and eThekwini so far?

On the provisional PR vote tracked on Friday morning, the DA led Johannesburg and Tshwane, and MK led eThekwini. Large shares of voting districts were still outstanding in Johannesburg and eThekwini.

How many seats does a party need to govern a metro alone?

It depends on the council size. Rateweb's IEC-based boards list examples such as 136 seats in Johannesburg, 108 in Tshwane, 113 in Ekurhuleni, 118 in Cape Town, 112 in eThekwini, 61 in Nelson Mandela Bay, and 51 each in Buffalo City and Mangaung.

When will final local election results be announced?

Councils are declared as their counts finish. The IEC has indicated a final results process running toward about 11 November 2026. Use the official IEC dashboard for the latest declared status.