DA leads in Cape Town as opposition warns against early victory claims

Western Cape Electoral Officer Michael Hendrickse. Photographer Ayanda Ndamane/ANA Studio

The DA appeared poised to maintain its grip on the City of Cape Town, but opposition parties cautioned against premature celebrations as the IEC continued counting votes in the local government elections. 

The IEC’s results board showed that 38% of votes were counted and four seats allocated in the City of Cape Town as at 5pm.

The DA was leading with 60.57% of the votes, followed by the ANC with 10.7%, Patriotic Alliance 3.95%, Freedom Front Plus 3.36% and National Coloured Congress 3.03%.

The EFF recorded 2.88% of the votes, ActionSA 2.66%, GOOD Party 2.34% and ACDP 1.41%.

The DA had by midday on Thursday, November 5, 2026, declared an early victory in the City.

DA leader and mayoral candidate Geordin Hill-Lewis led a mini-celebration with party supporters outside the IEC Western Cape Results Operations Centre in Century City while the electoral body was still capturing the results from the voting stations.

“Based on our own collection of data for all the voting stations, we can project that our results in the City of Cape Town will be around 58%,” Hill-Lewis said.

He added that the party is making significant inroads into previous ANC strongholds, including Khayelitsha and Gugulethu. 

If the DA achieves 58% of the vote, it would mean the party matched its 2021 support.

ANC spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said they did not believe the DA performed the way it claimed considering the outstanding results still to be captured and audited by the IEC.

“They are just jumping for joy when it is still early days,” Mtsweni said.

“Our areas have not yet been counted in Khayelitsha, all of them. We intend to increase our base. By the time the announcement is made, it should give an indication of where we are standing.” 

Both the ANC and GOOD Party noted the voter turnout in the city.

Mtsweni said the turnout has been low not for the ANC but for all parties that contested the elections.

“It fluctuates from area to area. There have been areas where it has been high. Most are hovering around 40 and 50% and others are below. It is a trend across the country,” he said.

GOOD Party chairperson Matthew Cook said there had been massive differentiated voter turnout between the suburbs, Cape Flats and informal settlements.

“That will impact the results. There are parties that are strong in certain areas. We wait to see how that pans out, but we have seen growth in certain areas,” he said.

“We have seen the suburbs are warming up to our message that Cape Town has unaffordable housing, a housing crisis and that needs to be addressed,” Cook said.

He added that it was shocking that the Cape Flats and informal settlements, where the services are desperately needed and should be delivered, recorded low voter turnout.

“For us it is indictment of people most need services and changes the most they have given up. Essentially they have handed government to a party that does not suffer in the same way they do and will continue to do the same thing,” said Cook.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said it had captured more than 60% of the results from the 2026 local government elections, with the results collation process expected to be concluded by the weekend.