Gauteng election results signal shifting fortunes as ANC acknowledges losses and IFP eyes gains

The African National Congress (ANC) is facing mounting pressure in Gauteng after suffering significant losses in the province’s three metros, while the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) remains optimistic about improving its electoral performance as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) works to finalise outstanding results in the 2026 Local Government Elections.

Preliminary results show the Democratic Alliance (DA) maintaining its lead in the province, followed by the ANC and ActionSA, pointing to a changing political landscape and the possibility of coalition negotiations in several municipalities.

ANC Gauteng Provincial Coordinator, Sochayile Khanyile, says the party has taken note of the message from voters and acknowledges that the results are a cause for concern.

Khanyile says the ANC remains committed to addressing the issues raised by communities during its election campaign, particularly around service delivery and local leadership.

The party says it will wait for the final results before engaging communities on the way forward. This includes municipalities such as Lesedi, where residents have previously expressed dissatisfaction with local leadership.

Meanwhile, the IFP is optimistic about improving its support in Gauteng, saying the response from voters during its campaign has been encouraging.

IFP Gauteng Provincial Secretary, Alco Ngobese, says the party believes it is on course to meet its electoral targets and is hopeful of making gains in several wards, including Ward 26 in Diepkloof, Ward 34 in Jabulani, Ward 40 in Zola and Ward 75 in Alexandra.

“The city of Joburg, that was going slowly this morning, is recording nice progress. They are sitting at 56% complete now. They managed to record this progress because then we deployed more data capturers for them to expedite the capturing process.”

The political developments come as the IEC continues to process and verify outstanding results across the province, with Johannesburg emerging as the biggest obstacle to completing the operation.

IEC Provincial Electoral Manager, Nthabi Sipane, says the high volume of ballots in the City of Johannesburg has contributed to delays, prompting the Commission to deploy additional data capturers to accelerate the process.

Johannesburg’s results capturing progress improved to 56% by Friday afternoon, from just above 40% earlier in the day.

Several other municipalities have also made significant progress, with Midvaal, Rand West and Merafong having completed capturing, while Mogale City was at 98%. Lesedi had earlier reached 99%.

The IEC had reported that 61% of results across Gauteng had been verified earlier in the day, as the Commission continued with capturing, verification and auditing process.

The final results are expected to provide a clearer picture of the political balance across Gauteng, as parties prepare for possibile coalition arrangements in municipalities where no party secures an outright majority.

HOW MUNICIPAL COUNCIL SEATS ARE CALCULATED AND ALLOCATED

Once results have been finalised, your votes determine who will represent you in your local councils and municipalities, and the proportion of seats allocated to your chosen parties and candidates.

#CDE #VoterEducation https://t.co/CMPt4E9wnp

— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) November 6, 2026

Written by: Lebohang Ndashe