Government7 November 2026

Metsimaholo (Sasolburg) hung: ANC 17 seats, 7 short of majority

Full count in Metsimaholo (Sasolburg): ANC 17 of 46 seats, DA 11, after a 0.2-point ward-vote photo finish. Local SMM and EFF hold 5 seats each. Seat table and what happens next.

By Reported Team

IEC Electoral Commission voting station banner on a fence, with a blue Voting Station sign pointing the way — Photo: Jan-Hendrik du Toit via Wikimedia Commons, CC0

The ANC remains the largest party in Metsimaholo Local Municipality (Sasolburg, Zamdela, Deneysville and Oranjeville, municipal code FS204), but it cannot govern alone. Provisional IEC figures after a full count give the party 17 of 46 seats, 7 short of the 24 needed for a majority (ESP Metsimaholo results from IEC data; The Outlier Metsimaholo; The People's Register seat tracker).

The ward ballot was a photo finish. The ANC took 27.6% and the DA 27.4%, a gap of about 119 votes on that ballot alone (ESP; Vaalweekblad / The Citizen; Mandate SA Metsimaholo).

All 88 voting districts and all 23 wards are counted. The seats stay provisional until the IEC formally declares the council. National final results are due at 18:00 on Sunday, 8 November (IEC news; IOL).

Metsimaholo seat count

Party	Seats	Ward + PR
ANC	17	17 + 0
DA	11	5 + 6
EFF	5	1 + 4
Service Movement for Metsimaholo (SMM)	5	0 + 5
Freedom Front Plus	3	0 + 3
SACP	1	0 + 1
Metsimaholo Community Association	1	0 + 1
African Transformation Movement	1	0 + 1
ActionSA	1	0 + 1
African Congress for Transformation	1	0 + 1

Sources: ESP, The People's Register, Vaalweekblad.

How close was the ANC-DA race?

On the ward ballot, ESP records 15,237 ANC votes (27.6%) against 15,118 for the DA (27.4%). Vaalweekblad, reading the IEC panel on Saturday, put the parties at 27.66% and 27.45% (ESP; Vaalweekblad; Mandate SA).

The ANC won 17 of 23 wards. The DA took five wards. The EFF won one (The Outlier; Mandate SA).

ESP puts the ANC's ward share 6.6 percentage points below its 34.2% in 2021. Turnout on the PR ballot is about 51.4% of the 109,000 voters on the roll (ESP).

Who are the kingmakers?

No party is close to 24 seats on its own. The local Service Movement for Metsimaholo (SMM) and the EFF each hold 5 seats, matching each other and trailing only the ANC and DA (ESP; Vaalweekblad).

Any path to a working majority will need deals across those blocs, or another support agreement in council. That is the same pattern as many Free State hung councils after this election (The People's Register).

What happens next for Sasolburg residents?

Once the IEC declares the council elected, the municipal manager must call the first council meeting within 14 days. Councillors then elect a speaker and a mayor (Municipal Structures Act; Reported hung-council mayor explainer).

Rates, water and electricity billing do not flip overnight when seats are allocated. Day-to-day services stay with the existing administration until a new mayor and council take office and pass fresh decisions. Watch the IEC declaration on Sunday and the first Metsimaholo council sitting after that.

Figures remain provisional until the Commission completes objections and recounts elsewhere and issues the formal declaration (IEC).

FAQ

Did the ANC win Metsimaholo (Sasolburg)?

The ANC is the largest party with 17 of 46 seats, but that is 7 short of the 24 needed to govern alone. The council is hung (ESP, The Outlier).

What is the Metsimaholo seat split?

ANC 17, DA 11, EFF 5, Service Movement for Metsimaholo 5, Freedom Front Plus 3, and one seat each for the SACP, Metsimaholo Community Association, ATM, ActionSA and African Congress for Transformation (ESP from IEC data).

How close were the ANC and DA?

On the ward ballot the ANC scored about 27.6% and the DA 27.4%, a gap of roughly 119 votes. Vaalweekblad reported 27.66% vs 27.45% from the IEC panel.

Which towns are in Metsimaholo?

Metsimaholo Local Municipality (FS204) in the Free State covers Sasolburg, Zamdela, Deneysville and Oranjeville.