Hung council in Steve Tshwete triggers coalition talks
Neither major party has clinched an outright majority in the local municipality, leaving kingmakers in prime position to decide the next mayor.
Provisional results from the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality have confirmed a hung council, leaving political parties scrambling to form a coalition government.
With no single party securing an outright majority, any governing bloc will need a minimum threshold of 30 out of the 58 council seats to elect a mayor and council speaker.
Coalition race begins
According to provisional tally data from the IEC, the DA currently leads the vote share in the municipality, securing 39 458 combined ward and PR votes, comprising 19 866 ward votes and 19 592 PR votes.
ALSO READ: DA leads Steve Tshwete vote count as IEC tallies municipal ballots
The ANC follows with 33 469 total votes, comprising 16 560 ward votes and 16 909 PR votes.
Because neither leading party can reach the 30-seat majority on its own, coalition negotiations among smaller parties and independent seat-holders will determine who takes control of the local council.
At the time of publication, 100% of the municipality’s vote counting was complete, with only 3% of national results remaining to be finalised.
