Government9 November 2026

MK has 86 seats in Durban but needs 112. The deals that get there

Final IEC seats for eThekwini: MK 86, DA 57, ANC 37 and IFP 15 of 223. Only MK and the ANC reach the 112 needed as a two-party deal. Every coalition that works, and when Durban gets a mayor.

By Reported Team

Bar chart of final eThekwini council seats: MK Party 86, DA 57, ANC 37, IFP 15, ActionSA 7, EFF 4, others 17, with the 112-seat majority line — Reported chart from IEC results via Rateweb

The MK Party finished first in eThekwini but is 26 seats short of running Durban alone. With all 839 voting districts counted, it has 86 of the council's 223 seats, against 57 for the DA and 37 for the ANC. A party or coalition needs 112 seats to govern (Rateweb, from IEC data).

Only one two-party deal clears that line on its own: MK and the ANC together, with 123 seats.

What are the final seats in eThekwini?

Party	Share of ballots	Seats	Ward + PR
MK Party	38.3%	86	73 + 13
DA	25.5%	57	33 + 24
ANC	16.4%	37	2 + 35
IFP	6.8%	15	4 + 11
ActionSA	2.9%	7	0 + 7
EFF	1.6%	4	0 + 4
VF Plus	0.9%	2	0 + 2
ATM	0.8%	2	0 + 2
eThekwini Ratepayers Political Movement	0.6%	2	0 + 2
11 other parties	0.2% to 0.5% each	1 each	0 + 1 each
Total		223

Sources: Rateweb, from IEC results files, IEC update at 17:56 SAST on 9 November 2026. The IEC results dashboard has the official figures. The one-seat parties are the PA, SACP, ACDP, Minority Front, Al Jama-Ah, 1860 NIC Congress, Democratic Liberal Congress, AIC, Independent People's Party, People's Revolutionary Movement and People's Freedom Party.

MK won 73 of the city's wards outright. The DA took 33 and the IFP 4. The ANC won only 2 wards and gets almost all its seats from the PR list.

Which coalitions reach 112 seats?

Possible deal	Seats	Short of 112
MK + ANC	123	Clears it by 11
MK + DA	143	Clears it, but both have ruled it out
DA + ANC + IFP + ActionSA	116	Clears it by 4
DA + ANC + IFP + EFF	113	Clears it by 1
DA + ANC + IFP	109	3 short
MK + IFP + EFF + ATM	107	5 short
MK + IFP	101	11 short

Seat totals are Reported's sums of the final seats above.

A deal without MK needs at least four parties, including the DA, the ANC and the IFP, and the extra partner must bring 3 seats or more. Smaller parties with one or two seats can also be added to close a gap.

What have the parties said?

The DA's eThekwini mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen said on 6 November that the DA would not go into a coalition with MK, IOL and EWN reported. MK's KZN spokesperson told EWN the party had no interest in working with the DA either.

MK has previously ruled out working with the ANC while Cyril Ramaphosa leads it. Its coalition negotiator Dali Mpofu told 702 on Monday that MK would go into talks without preconditions and wait to hear what other parties offer, according to EWN. "This is ultimately about local government and about making sure that services are delivered," he said.

MK also says it is unhappy with the eThekwini result. The party alleges the vote was rigged and is considering its next step, EWN reported. Its mayoral candidate is Mxolisi Phakathi.

When will Durban get a mayor?

Councils were dissolved when results were declared, and the new councils must hold their first sitting within 14 days, EWN reported. The mayor, speaker and executive are elected by councillors at that sitting, so the coalition deal has to be in place by then.

FAQ

Who won eThekwini in the 2026 local elections?

The MK Party won the most votes (38.3%) and seats (86 of 223), but not a majority. The DA has 57 seats and the ANC 37.

How many seats are needed to govern eThekwini?

112 of the council's 223 seats, according to IEC results data published by Rateweb.

Which coalition can govern eThekwini?

MK and the ANC together have 123 seats. Without MK, a deal needs the DA, ANC, IFP and at least one more party with 3 or more seats, such as ActionSA or the EFF.

When will eThekwini elect a new mayor?

At the new council's first sitting, which must happen within 14 days of the results being declared.