eThekwini hung: DA rules out MK coalition. What next?

eThekwini (Durban) is on track for a hung metro after the 4 November 2026 local elections. With about 45% of voting districts counted, Rateweb's live IEC feed (updated 10:41 Africa/Johannesburg on Friday 6 November) puts the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) on 42.0%, the Democratic Alliance (DA) on 22.1% and the African National Congress (ANC) on 17.1%. No party is near an outright majority on those shares.

On Friday morning, DA eThekwini mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen told reporters at the KwaZulu-Natal results centre that the DA will not form a coalition with MK. EWN and IOL both reported the line. MK's KZN spokesperson told EWN the party has no interest in working with the DA either.

This piece explains the provisional numbers, how many seats are needed to govern, and what happens next for residents. Final seat allocations are still coming: the IEC has said eThekwini's full metro count is slower because of the size of the municipality.

What do the provisional eThekwini numbers show?

Figures below are provisional from Rateweb's IEC-based tracker at 10:41 Africa/Johannesburg on 6 November 2026. Seats listed so far are only from wards already fully declared; most of the 223-seat council is still awaiting results.

The Outlier's eThekwini page (about 45% of voting districts in) shows a similar PR lead: MK about 42.0%, DA 22.5%, ANC 16.8%, IFP 7.3%. Outlier also notes MK leading in dozens of wards that are not yet fully declared.

Nationally, Outlier's metro board still shows 0 of 8 metros decided on Friday morning. eThekwini remains "counting".

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

eThekwini's council has 223 seats. More than half is 112 seats. That is the majority line used by Rateweb from IEC seat maths.

Hoosen told IOL that any governing pact needs 113 seats. Treat 112 as the legal majority threshold (more than half of 223) and 113 as the figure the DA is using in public talks. Final PR seat top-ups can still move the board a long way once every voting district is verified.

Half the seats come from ward winners. The other half come from the proportional representation (PR) ballot. That is why a party can lead the vote share and still fall short of 112 once seats are calculated. For the national method, see our explainer on how council seats are calculated.

What did the DA and MK actually say?

According to EWN, Hoosen said the DA would not form a coalition with MK and that this matched a promise made before the election. He also said the DA expects to be a "big player" once seat maths are clearer.

IOL quotes him saying the party will wait for final figures and seats, then look at which combination can reach a governing majority without MK.

EWN also quotes MK KZN spokesperson Mkhuseli Mlengane saying MK has no interest in working with the DA and wants to govern municipalities alone. The ANC and EFF told EWN it is still too early for coalition talks.

We report those statements as party positions. They are not endorsements.

What happens next if eThekwini stays hung?

If no party reaches 112 seats after the IEC finalises the metro:

1. Coalition or multiparty talks begin among parties that together can pass 112.
2. The council must elect a mayor and other office-bearers. Under the Municipal Structures Act framework explained in our 14-day hung council guide, parties typically have a short window after the council is constituted to elect the mayor.
3. Services keep running under the existing administration until a new political executive is elected. Bin days, water and electricity accounts do not pause for coalition talks.
4. Objections that could change a ward result had a Friday 17:00 deadline for material objections, as covered in our IEC objection guide. Outstanding objections can still delay a declaration in specific wards.

The IEC has said national official results are expected over the weekend, with a Sunday 8 November announcement window widely reported. Until then, treat every metro seat table as provisional.

How can you follow eThekwini seats yourself?

Refresh after each major update. Early seat bars can look lopsided when only a few wards are complete.

What should residents watch for?

• Final seat table for all 223 seats, not just the vote percentage.
• Whether MK, DA, ANC, IFP or smaller parties can assemble 112 seats without each other.
• The first council meeting date once the IEC declares the metro result.
• Any IEC objection or recount notices that change a ward.

For the wider hung-council picture outside the metros, see 82 of 117 finished councils are hung. For earlier KZN vote shares while counting was thinner, see our KZN results update.