DA wins majority in 6 Western Cape towns: seat tables

Provisional IEC tallies now show the Democratic Alliance with an outright majority on six Western Cape local councils outside Cape Town: Drakenstein, Mossel Bay, Overstrand, Swartland, Hessequa and Bergrivier. Every voting district in these six councils is counted. Seat totals remain provisional until the IEC formally declares each council (The Outlier, update about 13:16 Africa/Johannesburg on 6 November 2026; Rateweb Western Cape results).

EWN earlier on Friday listed five Western Cape municipalities already in the DA's majority column (Bergrivier, Swartland, Hessequa, Drakenstein and George). Mossel Bay and Overstrand have since also cleared the majority line on Outlier's IEC-based seat cards. George is covered separately on Reported (George: DA 28 of 55).

Seat tables (provisional)

Sources: Outlier council cards linked below (IEC data). Rateweb's Western Cape feed also lists these councils as majority outcomes once fully counted.

Drakenstein (Paarl / Wellington)

(Outlier: Drakenstein)

Mossel Bay

(Outlier: Mossel Bay)

Overstrand (Hermanus)

(Outlier: Overstrand)

Swartland

(Outlier: Swartland)

Hessequa

(Outlier: Hessequa)

Bergrivier

(Outlier: Bergrivier)

How this fits the Western Cape picture

Rateweb's IEC feed earlier on Friday showed 23 of 25 Western Cape local councils fully counted, with a mix of majority and hung outcomes. Many other towns, including Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Beaufort West, Bitou and Laingsburg, remain hung and will need coalitions (Rateweb; EWN). The City of Cape Town and Stellenbosch were still counting at midday.

Nationally, Outlier's rolling feed put about 83% of voting districts counted, with 132 of 205 local councils decided and 89 hung, and 0 of 8 metros fully decided (The Outlier).

What happens next in these six towns

Once the IEC declares a council elected, the first council meeting must be held within 14 calendar days. Councillors then elect a speaker and mayor under the Municipal Structures Act. With an outright majority, the DA can elect those office-bearers without needing a coalition partner, unless it chooses a broader deal.

These seat figures are not final IEC declarations. Parties can still lodge Section 65 objections that are material to a result (deadline 17:00 Africa/Johannesburg on 6 November 2026), and the commission must resolve material objections before declaring final results (IEC objections page; EWN on outstanding complaints).

Follow live updates on the IEC results dashboard, The Outlier and Rateweb. For hung-council context, see Reported's 88 of 129 finished councils hung and the 14-day mayor explainer.