Developing story: results are still coming in, and both parties' positions may change as counting continues.
ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe has urged his party to accept the outcome of the 2026 local government elections, warning against actions that could damage the ANC's credibility. In the Western Cape, the DA's provincial leader Tertuis Simmers said he was confident the party had done the work needed to hold on to Cape Town.
Mantashe: accept the result
Mantashe, who cast his vote in Boksburg on election day, said the ANC must accept the election results regardless of the outcome, according to reports of his remarks. He said the party should win as many municipalities as possible and make sure that coalitions, where they are needed, function properly.
He also acknowledged that coalitions have not always been easy and said the ANC had drawn lessons from its experience in the Government of National Unity. Recent polling suggested the ANC was not on course for an outright majority in several Gauteng metros, which would make coalition talks central to what follows.
DA: waiting on Cape Town
Simmers said he had observed strong turnout of DA supporters, including in areas that have traditionally been ANC strongholds in the metro. "We will be waiting for results as they come in and then we will see if the pundits are wrong or right," he said. "What I've observed tells me that the voters heeded our call; they went out en masse to vote. We will wait for the final outcome."
He was more cautious about some smaller municipalities. "The reality is some of these municipalities we might just miss out," Simmers said, pointing to Bitou, which the DA missed by 28 votes in 2021, and a 50-vote miss in 2016.
