The writing is on the wall for the embattled ANC which is on the brink of losing its majority for the first time since the dawn of democracy, and further suspense for SA as parties jostle for position in coalition talks that will inevitably follow the elections.
With 15.3-million votes (97.46% complete) counted by 8.39am on Saturday, the ANC was leading nationally with 6.1-million votes (or 40.11%), followed by the DA with 3.3-million (21.71%), and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party with 2.2-million (14.84%).
The ANC’s poor showing in the 2024 national and provincial elections is consistent with several polls which projected it would fall well below 50%, with the electorate having lost faith with the party’s underwhelming performance in government after decades of endemic high unemployment, systemic corruption, entrenched poverty and poor service delivery.
A survey by Johannesburg-based think-tank the Brenthurst Foundation, in March predicted that ANC electoral support would plummet to 39% nationally on a 66% voter turnout.
The far-left EFF trailed with 1.4-million votes (9.37%), IFP 3.95%, Patriotic Alliance (PA) 2.04%, Freedom Front Plus 1.36%, ActionSA 1.16%, UDM 0.49%, Rise Mzansi 0.41% and Build One SA (Bosa) and ATM 0.42% .
On the provincial leader board, the MK party was leading KwaZulu-Natal with 1.5-million votes (45.34%), IFP 627,906 votes (18.02%) and ANC 591,921 votes (16.98%). Of the 4,974 voting districts in the province, vote counting had been completed in 4,938 voting districts — a 99.28% completion rate.
In SA’s economic and financial hub, Gauteng, vote counting was 93.42% complete, with ANC leading with 1.2-million votes (or 34.32%). This is a far cry from the 50.1% support it enjoyed in 2019. It was trailed by the DA with more than 1.015-million votes (27.94%), and the EFF with 12.88% (468,227 votes).
With 98.66% of the ballots counted in the Western Cape, the DA was leading with 55.33%, followed by the ANC 19.45% and PA 7.89%.
Vote counting is complete in the Northern Cape — the ANC recording 49.34%, DA 21.19% and EFF 13.25%.
In Free State, where 99.87% of the ballot had been tallied, the ANC was ahead with 52.03%, followed by the DA with 21.73% and EFF with 13.49%.
In the Eastern Cape, the ANC was leading with 63.31%, followed by the DA 13.97% and EFF 10.02%. Vote counting was 97.55% complete.
In Mpumalanga, where 99.01% of the vote count had been tallied, the ANC was ahead with 50.91%, followed by MK on 17.10% and EFF with 13.87%, while in Limpopo, the ANC was leading with 73.35%, followed by the EFF on 14.03% and the DA with 6%. Vote counting was 98.66% complete.
In North West the ANC was ahead with 58.44%, followed by the EFF with 17.36% and DA on 12.63%. Vote counting was 95.63% complete.
The IEC said in a media briefing on Friday that the official result would be announced during the course of the weekend.
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