Five Tshwane polls give DA an edge in coalition negotiations

With 76% of the votes counted, preliminary Tshwane election results show the ANC holding 24 seats with 22.1% of the vote, ActionSA with 15 seats and 23.4%, and the DA leading with 12 seats and 31.36% of support at 15:00 on Friday.

Commenting on the counting trends, political analyst Prof Amanda Gouws said:

The results are not yet complete, but so far they confirm the ANC’s loss of support and the significant increase in support for ActionSA. The ANC’s losses have gone to ActionSA and not to the DA.

Gouws added that the ANC had reason to be concerned, particularly given its poor governance record in the Tshwane metro.

The DA, meanwhile, said it was too early to draw final conclusions while counting continued.

However, the party maintained that its performance placed it on course to become the largest party in the city for the first time since the 2016 local government elections.

DA mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink said the party had increased.

The path to a 108-seat majority

To govern with an outright majority, a party needs more than half of the seats in the council.

If it falls short, it needs other parties’ support to reach that majority. This is where coalition negotiations begin.

With 214 seats in the Tshwane council, a party or coalition would need at least 108 seats to secure an outright majority.