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,” she said.

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 its support in township voting districts, with some areas doubling their support. He added that other parties’ performance had not affected its own growth.

He thanked voters and campaign supporters, adding that the party would act in the city’s best interests going forward.

However, the final composition of the council will depend on the completion of the vote count and the allocation of proportional representation seats.

How proportional representation shapes the council

Political analyst Wayne Sussman explained that there is an important distinction between ward councillors and proportional representation (PR) councillors.

Tshwane has 214 council seats, comprising 107 ward councillors elected directly by voters and another 107 proportional representation councillors allocated to political parties according to their overall electoral support.

Sussman explained that a ward cannot be taken away from a councillor who has won it.

However, proportional representation seats are allocated to parties once all the results are available, allowing them to appoint candidates from their party lists.

He said there is often confusion about how a political party can receive the most support across a municipality and still need to form a coalition.

The answer lies in proportional representation (PR).

In South Africa’s municipal elections, winning individual wards is only one part of the electoral process.

The other part is proportional representation, which ensures that the final composition of the council broadly reflects the overall support each political party received from voters.

“In simple terms, a party might win several wards, but that does not automatically give it control of the council,” said Sussman.

The number of seats a party receives is calculated according to its overall electoral support.

The ward seats it has already won are taken into account, and its remaining entitlement is filled through proportional representation.

This means a party can win fewer wards than its rivals but still end up with more councillors overall because it received greater support.

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.

Winning the most wards, receiving the most overall support, and having enough seats to govern are three different things.

“Ultimately, it is the final composition of the council, rather than simply the number of wards won, that determines whether a party can govern on its own or needs coalition partners,” added Sussman.

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

Comments from the ANC and other parties will be added as received.

ALSO: DA leads Tshwane vote count as ActionSA wins key wards

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok or WhatsApp Channel