Durban's GNU parties are 3 seats short. Where eThekwini talks stand

The ANC, DA and IFP run KwaZulu-Natal together, but in eThekwini their 109 seats leave them 3 short of the 112 needed to govern Durban, eNCA reported on 12 November. The MK Party, the biggest party with 86 seats, is now talking to the ANC and ActionSA.

No deal has been signed. Here is who holds the seats and what each party has said so far.

How many seats does each party hold?

Sources: Rateweb, from IEC results files; IOL. MK won 73 wards, the DA 33, the IFP 4 and the ANC 2.

Which coalitions get to 112?

By Reported's calculation from the seats above:

Source: seat totals from Rateweb.

The ANC, with 37 seats, is the only party that can hand MK a majority on its own. The DA cannot get there without the ANC: every party other than MK and the ANC holds 100 seats combined.

Who is talking to whom?

The ANC in KZN has confirmed it will hold coalition talks with MK. Provincial convener Mike Mabuyakhulu told East Coast Radio the party has "invited everybody" and that MK asked to meet. MK leader Dali Mpofu told the Sunday Times that MK's negotiators held an exploratory meeting with ANC negotiators on Sunday.

ActionSA's KZN leader, Zwakele Mncwango, said ActionSA met MK and the ANC on 10 November, mainly about eThekwini. He said the meeting was exploratory, no agreement was reached and any deal ActionSA signs will be made public (IOL).

DA mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen said the DA's national leaders are talking to other parties, excluding MK, and that nothing has been finalised (IOL). Before the count he said the DA would not form a coalition with MK (EWN). DA KZN leader Sithembiso Ngema said the party has met the ANC, ATM, FF Plus and Minority Front, among others (East Coast Radio).

MK in KZN says its door is open to every party except the DA and FF Plus (East Coast Radio). Nationally, Mpofu told the Sunday Times MK had decided to accept a DA invitation to talks, without saying which councils it covers (Sunday Times; Reported on the DA invitations).

The eThekwini Ratepayers Political Movement, with 2 seats, said it has been invited to talks but has made no decision yet (IOL).

When must Durban's new council sit?

National CoGTA says metro and local councils must be constituted between 12 and 26 November 2026 (SA Government). At that first sitting the 223 councillors elect a speaker and an executive mayor. KZN CoGTA has separately moved first meetings in the province's hung local councils to the week of 23 November (Reported).

Until then the city's officials keep running services. Report water and electricity faults through eThekwini's official channels.

For the full seat breakdown, see Reported's eThekwini coalition maths. Official results are on the IEC results site.