Coalition negotiations loom as 108 municipalities remain hung
In Gauteng, all municipalities, with the exception of Midvaal, are hung councils, with no single party securing an outright majority.
Alpha Ramushwana
Action SA's Nasiphi Moya and Michael Michael Beaumont. Photo: Karabo Tebele
Karabo Tebele
Political parties are now shifting their focus to coalition negotiations, as several municipalities remain without an outright majority.
So far, 93% of voting districts have been counted, with the final results expected to be concluded by midday tomorrow at the latest.
In Gauteng, all municipalities, with the exception of Midvaal, are hung councils, with no single party securing an outright majority.
In Midvaal, however, the DA has secured a commanding victory, winning 62% of the vote.
Across the country, 108 municipalities are currently hung, meaning that no political party has secured an outright majority.
The same situation applies to Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, where the DA is currently leading the race but has failed to secure the required 50% plus one majority.
In the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in the Free State, the ANC and DA are currently neck and neck, both polling at approximately 36%.
However, the DA is narrowly ahead of the ANC by just 0.24 percentage points.
ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said coalitions have clearly become the order of the day.
"We are going to drill down because ActionSA is available to negotiate with any political party in South Africa, from all sides of the spectrum. We don’t think local government is ideological. It’s about electricity, water, roads, sewage and refuse."
He said the IEC hopes to conclude the counting in densely populated municipalities by midday on Saturday.