ELECTIONS 2026 | Result: DA wins Nelson Mandela Bay metro

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has emerged as a resounding winner in Nelson Mandela Bay in the 2026 Local Government Elections, securing 44.17% of the vote and significantly extending its lead over the African National Congress (ANC).

With the vote count completed, the DA secured 53 seats in the 120-seat Eastern Cape metro council, compared with 32 seats for the ANC.

READ | Cyril Ramaphosa leads ANC to WORST-ever election result

The result represents a major setback for the governing party, which has lost 16 seats compared with the previous council.

The DA’s 44.17% support puts it 18.69 percentage points ahead of the ANC, which managed just 25.48%.

However, despite its commanding lead, the DA has fallen short of an outright majority and will need coalition partners to govern the metro.

A party needs 61 of the council’s 120 seats to secure a majority.

Nelson Mandela Bay election results

The Electoral Commission’s results show the following distribution among the leading parties:

PartySeatsVote shareDA5344.17%ANC3225.48%EFF75.55%SACP43.19%Patriotic Alliance43.04%Freedom Front Plus32.48%UDM32.42%Mayibuye Civic Movement22.2%ActionSA21.8%MK Party21.2%

Several smaller parties also secured representation, including the ACDP, ATM, PAC, Mayibuye Afrika Movement, African Independent Congress, United Progressive People Alliance, Democratic Movement and National Alliance.

In total, 18 political parties will be represented in the new council.

DA strengthens its position as ANC loses ground

The result represents a significant improvement for the DA in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The party’s 53 seats put it in a considerably stronger position to negotiate a coalition government than in the previous council.

The ANC, meanwhile, has seen its representation fall from 48 to 32 seats, losing a third of its previous council representation.

The EFF secured seven seats, while the South African Communist Party (SACP) made its first independent electoral contest in the metro count, winning four seats.

The Patriotic Alliance also secured four seats, doubling its previous representation.

Coalition negotiations will determine who governs

Despite winning the election convincingly, the DA cannot govern Nelson Mandela Bay alone.

It needs at least eight additional councillors to reach the 61-seat majority threshold.

This puts smaller parties in an important position as coalition negotiations begin.

The PA, SACP, Freedom Front Plus, UDM, ActionSA and other smaller parties could all become relevant to discussions about the next municipal administration.

The DA’s mayoral candidate, Retief Odendaal, has previously indicated that restoring stability to the municipality would be a priority.

Nelson Mandela Bay has experienced repeated political instability and coalition disputes, which have affected municipal governance.

Odendaal has also highlighted the municipality’s financial challenges, including a reported R1.7 billion revenue shortfall in its electricity department.

The DA now faces the challenge of turning its electoral victory into a stable governing arrangement.

For the ANC, the result represents another major electoral blow in the Eastern Cape, a province where it has historically enjoyed strong support.