Zille optimistic as DA leads in Joburg

The Democratic Alliance holds a strong lead in Johannesburg as vote counting continues after the 2026 local government elections, with early results showing the party significantly ahead of the African National Congress. This marks a historic potential shift in South Africa’s largest city.

DA Leads in Johannesburg

The Democratic Alliance holds an early lead in Johannesburg. As of Thursday morning, the party had 40.71% of the vote, according to figures available at 10am. The ANC was in second place with 17.10%. ActionSA followed with 15.41%, and the EFF had 6.37%. Inside Metros reported that while the picture is expected to change, the DA’s candidate, Helen Zille, currently has a commanding lead.

LGE 2026 | Vote counting continues across the country

Zille cast her vote at Emmarentia Primary School on Wednesday. Speaking to TimesLIVE at the National Results Operations Centre on Thursday, she said, I feel positive, and I hope it will go well. Zille remained pragmatic. She acknowledged the challenges of breaking through but was hopeful her hands-on campaign would be reflected in the final outcome. She also commended voters for participating, stating, It was a decent turnout, and we are grateful to those who turned out to vote.

Historic Projections for DA

Analysts are describing the DA’s performance as historic. eNCA’s MarkData projection shows the DA leading with 32.36%, more than double the ANC’s projected share of 18% to 22%. ActionSA is in third place with 15% to 19%. eNCA Elections Analyst Wayne Sussman commented on the significance: But this is historic. The Democratic Alliance has never, ever been the largest party in the city of Johannesburg, the most populous city in our country, and today, according to our eNCA projection, they are well ahead of any other party.

DA LEADS IN JOHANNESBURG WITH 47.58%! ACTIONSA AND ANC FOLLOW 5% COUNTED

Zille emphasized the importance of a DA victory for Johannesburg’s future. In an interview with EWN, she stated, It's make-or-break for Johannesburg. It's now or never for Johannesburg. We absolutely have to fix Johannesburg if we want South Africa to succeed. This underscores the high stakes for the party in the nation’s economic hub.

Contrasting Results in Major Cities

The early results reveal a complex political picture across South Africa’s metropolitan areas. While the DA leads in Johannesburg, Johannesburg Sunday World reports that ActionSA is leading in Tshwane with 30.1% after approximately 6% of voting districts reported. In Ekurhuleni, the DA leads on 41%, followed by ActionSA on 18.1% and the ANC on 16.8%.

Zille optimistic as DA leads in Joburg — Photo: EWN

Johannesburg Sunday World highlights the tight race in Mangaung. The DA holds a marginal lead over the ANC. The DA stood at a slightly higher percentage against the ANC’s 34.3%, a razor-thin margin.

No majority winner has been predicted in Johannesburg. It remains uncertain which political parties will form a coalition government. The city has a history of fragile coalition governments. The current administration, led by ANC mayor Dada Morero, involves support from several smaller parties.

Zille hopes for Joburg victory

It will be a beast of a challenge to negotiate, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility to see a Zille city administration working with the ANC’s ‘rational centre’,

Pieter du Toit, News24 assistant editor

The potential for a coalition government is a key topic. News24’s Pieter du Toit suggests a tie-up between the DA and ANC could be possible if their internal tracking numbers hold. He writes that Zille wants to work with what she calls the rational centre, whether in the ANC or any other party. However, du Toit notes the ANC in Gauteng and Johannesburg is dominated by a faction that poses challenges to such a partnership.

IEC to Release Final Results on Sunday

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is continuing to count and verify votes. TimesLIVE reports that IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo stated the commission had obtained 23,444 results slips, which is 35.5% of the 66,073 anticipated across metropolitan, local, and district councils. Of these, 22,983 result slips (34.8%) had been entered into the system, and 16,791 (25%) had cleared independent auditing.

LGE 2026 | DA Mayoral Candidate for Joburg Helen Zille

The IEC has officially announced it will release the final results on Sunday, 8 November. The political landscape in Johannesburg and other major metros remains in flux as parties and voters await the complete count.

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