Western Cape: 16 hung councils as DA starts coalition talks

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will spend this weekend on coalition talks in Western Cape councils where it did not win an outright majority, EWN reported on Friday, 6 November 2026.

Provisional Rateweb figures drawn from IEC data show 24 of the province's 25 local councils fully counted: 8 with a majority party and 16 hung. The City of Cape Town metro is still counting. EWN said the DA leads in 19 municipalities but has cracked an outright majority in only seven outside Cape Town so far.

That gap matters for residents. In a hung council, parties must agree on a speaker and mayor before the first council meeting closes. Under the Municipal Structures Act, that first meeting must be held within 14 calendar days of the IEC declaring the council elected.

How many Western Cape councils are hung?

Source: Rateweb Western Cape results (IEC data, 100% counted in 24 local councils). Figures are provisional until the IEC declares results.

Which DA-led towns are only 1 seat short?

These finished Western Cape councils have the DA as the largest party, one seat short of a majority. Seat tallies are from The Outlier and Rateweb (IEC data, count complete):

Sources: Outlier Breede Valley, Outlier Saldanha Bay, Outlier Cape Agulhas, Rateweb Breede Valley, Rateweb Saldanha Bay, ESP Saldanha Bay.

In Worcester, one more seat would have given the DA a majority on its own. In Saldanha Bay (Vredenburg, Langebaan, St Helena Bay), the Patriotic Alliance (PA) is second on 6 seats and becomes a central negotiating player. Cape Agulhas (Bredasdorp, Struisbaai, L'Agulhas) is a smaller council where a single councillor can tip the mayoral vote.

Where has the DA already won a majority?

Finished Western Cape local councils with a DA majority on provisional IEC-based tallies include Bergrivier, Drakenstein, George, Hessequa, Mossel Bay, Overstrand, Stellenbosch and Swartland, according to Rateweb and The Outlier. Cape Town is still counting, with the DA leading on the PR ballot in metro trackers from The Outlier and Rateweb.

What happens next for rates and services?

Hung councils do not freeze day-to-day municipal services overnight. Existing administrations continue until the new council elects its political office-bearers. What does change is who holds the mayoral chain and who chairs council committees that set budgets, tariffs and service priorities.

EWN quoted DA provincial executive committee member Grant Twigg saying the party would place residents first in the coalitions it puts together, with no preferred partners named yet. That is a party statement, not an IEC ruling. Voters should treat seat numbers from the IEC feed as the hard facts, and coalition claims as politics still in motion.

The IEC must declare metro and local-council results within seven days of the 4 November vote, so by 11 November 2026. Live seats are on the IEC results dashboard, with province and council trackers at The Outlier, Rateweb and MzansiData.

How to check your Western Cape council

1. Open the IEC local election results dashboard.
2. Search your municipality (for example Breede Valley, Saldanha Bay or Cape Agulhas).
3. Wait until every voting district in that council is counted before treating seats as final.
4. Cross-check hung vs majority status on Rateweb's Western Cape page or The Outlier.