Developing story: municipal figures vary slightly between sources and will be checked against the IEC's official results.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has won outright majorities in nine Western Cape municipalities and leads in 21, while 16 councils are hung and will need coalition agreements, according to final-results reporting on Monday. This follows an earlier report that the party held four councils outright when counting was still under way.
Where the DA has won
The nine councils are Cape Town, Bergrivier, Drakenstein, Hessequa, Mossel Bay, Overstrand, Stellenbosch, Swartland and George. In Cape Town the DA won 56.42%, the only metro in the country with an outright majority. The DA's own internal polling had expected about 51%, according to the report.
DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers called the outcome "a resounding endorsement".
The ANC's position
ANC provincial spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said: "We are disappointed at the results." He added: "But we accept the outcomes as the will of the people." He also said there was "no groundswell of support for the DA", and attributed some of its ward wins to higher DA turnout.
The ANC is reported to be hoping to keep a share of governance through coalitions in municipalities including Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Saldanha Bay, Swellendam, Cederberg, Matzikama, Central Karoo, Laingsburg and Prince Albert.
What happens next
Hung councils must form governing arrangements after the IEC's declaration of results on Sunday, when the national picture showed the ANC on 30.76%, the DA on 24.64% and the MK Party on 9.76%. The ANC's national executive committee meets on Thursday to settle its coalition approach.
What we do not yet know
The municipality-by-municipality breakdown comes from a single report and we have not matched it against the IEC's official municipal tables. National figures also differ between sources, so readers should treat the Western Cape breakdown as provisional until confirmed.
