South Africa Election Results: ANC Vote Collapses as DA Leads Johannesburg

South Africa election results on Thursday, November 5, show the African National Congress, the ANC, with about 32 percent of the national vote after about 36 percent of votes had been counted by 2pm. The Democratic Alliance, the DA, was second on about 27 percent. That would be down about 14 percentage points from the ANC result of 45.59 percent in the 2021 municipal elections, which was already the worst result in the party history.

In Johannesburg, the DA was leading with about 40 percent, far ahead of the ANC on about 17 percent. These are early results, and they will change as counting continues. Final results are expected by Sunday, and no party is expected to win outright in many cities, so coalition talks will follow.

Quick Facts

South Africa Election Results: The National Picture So Far

The headline from these South Africa election results is simple, and it is stark. The ANC, which has been the largest party in South Africa since 1994, is holding a narrow lead nationally, but its vote has fallen to about 32 percent. In 2021, it won 45.59 percent, its worst result in history. The DA, its main rival, is second on about 27 percent. The gap between the two parties is now just about five percentage points, the smallest in a local election. The ANC is also losing ground in the cities, where the DA is leading in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.

That narrow lead hides a deep fall. In the 2021 municipal elections, the ANC won 45.59 percent of the vote. That was already its worst result in history. If the current figure of about 32 percent holds, the party will be down about 14 percentage points from that low point. One analyst, Louw Nel of Oxford Economics Africa, called a result of 32 percent the party’s worst nightmare coming true. He said the turnout suggested that ANC voters had not stayed away, as many had expected, but had shown up and voted for other parties.

The vote on November 4 was the sixth local election since the end of apartheid in 1994, and the first since the ANC lost its 30 year parliamentary majority in 2024. Voters punished the party for high crime rates, corruption scandals, and failing basic services such as water and electricity. Only about a third of votes had been counted by 2pm, so the picture could still change. But the direction matches the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research projection with the SABC: the ANC finishing on about 32 percent nationally and the DA on about 26 percent, with turnout projected at about 52 percent, higher than in 2021.

Johannesburg: The DA Takes a Big Early Lead

Johannesburg is the biggest prize in this election, and the early numbers there are the most striking of all. The DA was leading the city with about 40 percent of the vote. At 10am, the DA had 40.7 percent on the News24 dashboard linked to the election commission, with the ANC second on 17.10 percent and ActionSA third on 15.41 percent. By midday, with 16 percent of votes counted, the DA was on 39.5 percent, the ANC on about 17 percent, and ActionSA on about 16 percent.

That is a huge swing from 2021, when the ANC won Johannesburg with 33.60 percent. The DA mayoral candidate for the city is Helen Zille, a former mayor of Cape Town. She told reporters she was very excited by the early results. Winning Johannesburg would be a major boost for the DA, but the race was still too close to call in the early count, with only 17 percent of votes counted in the city at one stage.

The ANC loss in Johannesburg is not just about one city. Analyst Tara Roos pointed to Soweto, one of the ANC traditional strongholds, where she said the party had suffered a sharp fall. At one voting district in Dlamini, Soweto, she said ANC support had fallen from 37 percent to 18 percent. Roos said the ANC was not leading in Johannesburg, Tshwane, or Ekurhuleni, and called that shocking.

In Gauteng, the DA was leading the province on about 39.3 percent, followed by the ANC on 18.6 percent and ActionSA on 15.2 percent in an earlier snapshot. ActionSA, a party founded by former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba, was also performing strongly in the city and could emerge as a kingmaker in coalition talks, since no party is expected to win an outright majority in Johannesburg. Read more: South Africa municipal elections: ANC and DA early results. That earlier article covered the first 12 percent counted, when the national gap was even tighter.

Ekurhuleni and Tshwane: Two More Metros Slip Away

The story in the other Gauteng metros is much the same. In Ekurhuleni, the city east of Johannesburg, the DA was leading with about 38 to 42 percent across the morning snapshots, with the ANC on about 16 to 17 percent and ActionSA on about 17 to 19 percent. At 10am, the DA had 42.39 percent, the ANC 15.57 percent, and ActionSA 15.04 percent. Whatever the exact figure at any hour, the gap was wide, and the ANC was far from the lead it once held in the city.

In Tshwane, which includes Pretoria, the picture was different but just as bad for the ANC. ActionSA was leading with about 28 to 29 percent, followed by the ANC on about 28 percent and the DA on about 21 percent. No party was close to a majority, and the city looked set for another round of coalition talks.

Outside Gauteng, the pattern was mixed. In the Western Cape, the DA was leading with about 56.5 percent, with the ANC second on 11.67 percent. The DA also declared an early victory in Cape Town, where it had 60 percent of the votes counted so far. In KwaZulu-Natal, the MK Party, led by former President Jacob Zuma, was ahead with about 32.7 percent. In the Eastern Cape, the ANC was still ahead with about 48 percent, against the DA on about 20 percent.

What the ANC Says, and What Comes Next

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe stayed hopeful in public, telling journalists that the current trends were not final. He said, “We may improve. Major areas, townships and other areas have not been counted yet.” Townships have long been ANC strongholds, and if they report later, the ANC share could rise. But the gap in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, and Gauteng means the party would need a very large swing to change the story. The CSIR projection already allows for those late reports, and it still puts the ANC at about 32 percent.

The next steps are now set by the calendar. Final results are expected by Sunday, after which parties have 14 days to negotiate coalition governments across 257 councils and 10,526 seats. In Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, and many smaller councils, no party will have a majority, so deals will be needed. Analysts have said the best option for stability in Johannesburg would be for the ANC to work with the DA, mirroring the arrangement they have in national government. But the two parties disagree on key issues such as racial redress, and any deal would be hard to sell to their supporters.

Other options are also on the table. ActionSA could join a coalition in Johannesburg or Tshwane, and it could demand a high price for its support. The MK Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters, the EFF, are also in the mix in some councils. Whatever happens, the talks will be long, and they could produce unstable councils if parties put power before service delivery, as analyst Sophie Mokoena warned.

The election will also shape national politics ahead of the 2029 national election, when the DA hopes to become the biggest party in the country. As Mokoena put it, South Africans are beginning to send a message: if you do not perform, if you do not deliver, they will look for alternatives. Read more: France nationwide strike on November 5 as unions and Yellow Vests protest. Read more: Nithya Raman defeats Karen Bass to become Los Angeles mayor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the latest South Africa election results?

The latest South Africa election results, with about 36 percent of votes counted by 2pm on Thursday, November 5, put the ANC on about 32 percent of the vote, ahead of the DA on about 27 percent. In Johannesburg, the DA was leading with about 40 percent, ahead of the ANC on about 17 percent. Counting is still under way, and the numbers will change.

How far has the ANC vote fallen?

The ANC won 45.59 percent in the 2021 municipal elections, which was already its worst result in history. If the current figure of about 32 percent holds, that would be a fall of about 14 percentage points. The CSIR projected the ANC could finish on about 32 percent nationally and the DA on about 26 percent.

Who is leading in Johannesburg?

The DA is leading Johannesburg with about 40 percent of the vote, against the ANC on about 17 percent and ActionSA on about 16 percent. The DA mayoral candidate is Helen Zille. No party is expected to win an outright majority, so coalition talks will follow.

When will the final results be known?

Final results are expected by Sunday, November 8. After the results are declared, parties have 14 days to negotiate coalition governments across 257 councils and 10,526 seats. Many cities are expected to have hung councils with no clear winner.

Sources

TechCentral, via Reuters: ANC’s worst nightmare unfolds as its vote collapses

Inside Politics: ANC narrowly leads DA nationally as early election results show major losses in Joburg

Reuters: ANC narrowly leads DA in early South Africa municipal election results

Final Thoughts

These South Africa election results are early, and every number in this article could move as counting continues. But the direction is hard to miss. The ANC is holding a narrow national lead on about 32 percent, down about 14 points from its worst ever result in 2021. In Johannesburg, the DA is leading by a wide margin, and the ANC is trailing in all three Gauteng metros. What happens next depends on the final count on Sunday, and then on 14 days of coalition talks across 257 councils.