Joburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni: which coalition deals reach a majority

No party is on track to govern Johannesburg, Tshwane or Ekurhuleni alone. On the latest projected seat counts, the DA is the biggest party in all three Gauteng metros, and ActionSA and the ANC are the two parties that can give it, or each other, a majority.

These are projections, not final results. They use the IEC count as at about 09:20 on Saturday, 7 November 2026, run through the seat formula in the Municipal Structures Act by Rateweb. The IEC only allocates proportional representation (PR) seats once a council's count reaches 100%.

How many seats does each party have so far?

Sources: projected seats from Rateweb Johannesburg, Rateweb Tshwane and Rateweb Ekurhuleni, based on IEC results. In Johannesburg the DA has 36.0% of the vote, the ANC 19.7% and ActionSA 16.3%, MzansiData reported from IEC figures.

Which two-party deals would reach a majority?

Simple seat maths on those projections, before any talks:

So a DA and ANC deal, or a DA and ActionSA deal, would clear the line in all three metros if the projections hold. In Ekurhuleni a DA and ActionSA deal would have no seat to spare.

Can the ANC and ActionSA govern without the DA?

Not on their own. They would need more partners:

In Johannesburg, that four-party group would still need about six more seats from smaller parties, such as the IFP (projected 7 seats) or the Patriotic Alliance and Rise Mzansi (5 each), according to Rateweb's projection.

A one-seat change in the final count can flip these sums, so treat the tight combinations with care.

What are the parties saying?

• DA: Helen Zille, the party's Johannesburg mayoral candidate, told TimesLIVE she would prefer a two-party coalition with either ActionSA or the ANC, because it is easier to manage than a coalition of many small parties.
• ANC: The party said it will hold off on formal coalition talks until results are officially announced, The Citizen reported. Chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli did not rule out working with the DA but pointed to a possible deal with ActionSA in several areas, the same report said.
• ActionSA: Leader Herman Mashaba said the party would not be told who to work with, and has said it is open to talking to every party, The Citizen reported. In an earlier report he ruled out working with Zille (The Citizen).

Parties are holding meetings this weekend to decide on partners and how they will negotiate (The Citizen).

When will we know who runs each metro?

First the IEC must declare each council's final seats. After that, a hung council has to meet and elect a speaker and mayor, and Reported has explained the 14-day timeline after results are declared. For Tshwane's full seat picture, see our Tshwane results piece.

Where can I check the latest count?

Use the IEC's official results dashboard. Only the IEC's declaration is final.