Ekurhuleni hung: DA on track for 69 seats, 44 short of majority

Ekurhuleni is heading for a hung council. With 96% of voting districts counted (632 of 653) at 13:01 on Saturday, 7 November 2026, Rateweb's IEC tracker projects the DA at 69 of 224 seats, the ANC at 51 and ActionSA at 42. A party needs 113 seats to run the East Rand metro alone.

That leaves the DA about 44 seats short of a majority on current numbers. These are projections, not official seats. The IEC allocates proportional representation (PR) seats, half the council, only when a municipality reaches 100% (Rateweb), and the official results are expected on Sunday, 8 November 2026 (The Citizen).

What are the projected Ekurhuleni seats?

Source: Rateweb Ekurhuleni results (IEC data, 96% of voting districts counted). Nine smaller parties are projected to win one seat each, including the ACDP, PAC, BOSA and AIC.

How does that compare with 2021?

The ANC has fallen from 38.2% in 2021 to about 21.5% so far, while ActionSA has jumped from 6.6% to about 18.7%. The DA is up from 28.7% to about 31.4%, and the EFF is down from 13.5% to 6.5% (MzansiData, figures at 95.3% counted). The ANC won 86 seats in Ekurhuleni in 2021 (Mandate SA).

Who has won the most wards?

The ANC still holds the most wards. Of ward seats declared so far, the ANC has 51, the DA 31, ActionSA 17 and the PA 2 (Rateweb). The ANC's ward lead does not translate into the most seats because PR seats top up each party to match its overall vote share.

Which coalitions reach 113 seats?

On the projected numbers, no two-party deal without the DA gets there.

Calculated by Reported from Rateweb's projected seats. Final seat numbers can shift by a seat or two once the IEC completes its allocation.

What are the parties saying?

The DA has not ruled out taking the mayoral chain in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay, where it emerged as the largest party (Mail & Guardian). DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said the party was already talking to several parties, including the ANC (Daily Maverick).

ActionSA is expected to play kingmaker in all three Gauteng metros (Daily Maverick). National chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party is "available to negotiate with any political party" (EWN). The ANC said it would hold off on formal talks until results are officially announced, with deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane saying it was open to working with others as long as there was stability (The Citizen).

When will Ekurhuleni get a mayor?

Once the IEC declares the results, the new council must hold its first meeting within 14 days, where councillors elect a speaker and then an executive mayor (Municipal Structures Act, section 29). In a hung council, that meeting is where any coalition deal is tested in a vote.

You can check the latest official numbers on the IEC results dashboard.