Government

Emfuleni looks hung: DA leads on 42% but needs a coalition

Emfuleni (Vaal, GT421) is heading for a hung council. With about 94% of voting districts in, the DA leads on roughly 42% of the PR vote and most wards, but Rateweb projects about 37 of 90 seats, short of the 46 needed. IEC final announcement is Sunday 8 November at 18:00.

By Reported Team

South African local government election ballot papers for metropolitan council and ward votes, with a pen beside them
Photo: Discott via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Emfuleni Local Municipality in the Vaal Triangle (Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark, Sebokeng and surrounds, municipal code GT421) looks set for a hung council. The Democratic Alliance leads the count by a wide margin, but independent seat projections put it short of the 46 seats needed to govern alone on a 90-seat council (The Outlier Emfuleni; Rateweb Emfuleni; ESP Emfuleni).

With about 94% of voting districts counted as at Saturday evening, The Outlier put the DA on 41.8% of the proportional-representation (PR) vote, the ANC on 23.5%, ActionSA on 6.0%, and the EFF and Freedom Front Plus on 5.9% each (The Outlier). ESP, reading 151 of 168 voting districts on the district (DC) ballot, had the DA on 41.7% and the ANC on 23.9% (ESP). Rateweb's running total at about 89% counted was similar: DA 41.4%, ANC 23.5% (Rateweb).

Vote share so far

PartyOutlier PR (~94% VDs)ESP DC (151/168 VDs)
DA41.8%41.7%
ANC23.5%23.9%
ActionSA6.0%6.2%
EFF5.9%6.2%
Freedom Front Plus5.9%6.2%
Others16.9%rest

Sources: The Outlier (results as at 7 Nov 2026, 19:36 SAST), ESP.

Wards and projected seats

On wards, The Outlier had the DA winning or leading 35 of 45, with the ANC on 10. ESP's ward colouring at the same stage put the DA ahead in 34 wards and the ANC in 11 (The Outlier; ESP; Mandate SA Emfuleni).

PR seats are only allocated once the full municipal count is in. Rateweb's projection from the vote counted so far, using the Municipal Structures Act formula, gives:

PartyProjected seats (of 90)
DA37
ANC21
Others (combined)26

Majority needed: 46. On that projection the DA would be about 9 seats short, so the council would be hung (Rateweb Emfuleni). Vaalweekblad, reading the IEC panel earlier on Saturday, also noted that Emfuleni's final seat split was not yet calculated and that a coalition remained possible (Vaalweekblad / The Citizen).

Still counting, final word Sunday

Emfuleni is one of the Gauteng municipalities where results processing was still outstanding on Saturday, alongside Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. The IEC has pushed the national announcement of the 2026 local election results to 18:00 on Sunday, 8 November, while it works through objections and recounts elsewhere (IOL; IEC results dashboard).

Figures above are provisional. Late voting districts can still move percentages, and only the Commission's formal declaration locks in seats.

Party claim: Chabalala on control

DA mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala told EWN he expected the party to take control of Emfuleni and claimed it could end up with 60% to 70% of the total vote once PR seats are finalised. That is a party claim, not an IEC figure. Independent trackers still show the DA in the low 40s on the vote counted so far (EWN; The Outlier; Rateweb).

What a hung Emfuleni means

If no party reaches 46 seats, parties must form a coalition or another support arrangement to elect a speaker and mayor. After the IEC declares the council elected, the municipal manager must call the first council meeting within 14 days (Municipal Structures Act; Reported: hung council, 14 days to elect a mayor).

Day-to-day billing and services stay with the existing administration until a new council takes office and passes fresh decisions.

How to check the official result

Use the IEC's live results tools: the LGE results dashboard and the IEC website news list. Cross-check ward and party totals on Mandate SA Emfuleni, The Outlier or ESP. Only the IEC declaration is final.

FAQ

Is Emfuleni hung after the 2026 election?

Provisional counts put the DA ahead on about 42% of the vote, but Rateweb projects roughly 37 of 90 seats, short of the 46 needed for a majority. Emfuleni is still processing; the IEC announces final results on Sunday 8 November at 18:00.

What are the Emfuleni vote percentages so far?

The Outlier (about 94% of voting districts) had DA 41.8%, ANC 23.5%, ActionSA 6.0%, EFF 5.9% and Freedom Front Plus 5.9% on the PR ballot. ESP (151 of 168 districts on the DC ballot) had DA 41.7% and ANC 23.9%.

How many seats does Emfuleni have?

Rateweb and Mandate SA treat Emfuleni as a 90-seat council, so a party needs 46 seats to govern alone. Final seat totals come only when the IEC finishes the count and allocates PR seats.

When will Emfuleni's result be final?

Emfuleni was still completing results processing on Saturday. The IEC plans to announce the 2026 local election results at 18:00 on Sunday, 8 November (IOL; IEC).

Did the DA claim it already controls Emfuleni?

DA mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala told EWN he was confident of taking control and claimed 60% to 70% of the total vote once PR seats are done. That is a party claim; independent trackers still show the DA in the low 40s on votes counted so far.

Sources