ELECTION RESULTS: As it happens

All the latest news, analysis and results from the 2016 local government elections as it happens. Refresh your browser for the latest updates...

10.37am

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More thoughts on Zuma and the election.

While there can be no doubt that Zuma was a factor - think the Des van Rooyen finance minister disaster and the Constitutional Court ruling - there may be other factors equally responsible for the ANC's problems in Gauteng and Nelson Mandela Bay.

In Nelson Mandela Bay, a succession of highly ineffective councils blatantly failed to deliver had taken the city to bankruptcy over twenty years of misrule. When the council was converted to a corrupt feeding trough, deep factional divides emerged as government became an avenue to quick riches. The insertion of Danny Jordaan at the last minute was too little, too late. He found himself without a functioning party machine - essential if you are to conduct an election - and with a council that would take more than mouth-to-mouth to resurrect. The symbolism of Zuma and his many corruption failings may have re-enforced this.

In Gauteng, the extremely unpopular (with ANC voters, make no mistake) decision to introduce the additional tax of 'e-tolls' as the declining economy began to bite played a large role. For the high concentration of middle class voters in Joburg and Tshwane, the breaches of the constitution (pay back the money) and the threat to economic stability (Van Rooyen) were also influential. Then there was the desertion of Zuma by the parties stalwarts and the likes of Trevor Manuel and Cheryl Carolus. Zuma was an embarrassment and his image barely made it onto the lamp-poles for good reason. The warning signs were there when Zuma was loudly booed at the Mandela memorial in Soweto. Instead of heeding them, the ANC chose to pretend that this was the work of 'a small minority'. They may pay a high price for this hubris.



10.30am

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The lines are starting to be a bit clearer now as DA is edging even further in Tshwane with theANC also edging ahead in Johannesburg.

As it stands with 92% National vote count:

National

ANC: 54.3%

DA: 26.37%

EFF: 7.98%



Tshwane with 69%% of the vote counted

DA: 43.9%

ANC: 41.57%

EFF: 10.47%





Johannesburg with 71% of the vote counted

ANC: 41.88%

DA: 41.48%

EFF: 10.78%





10.19am

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Bah humbug! Yesterday we were celebrating as the rand rose to its full might, presumably because of the 'election effect'.

Well, as our writer Andries Mahlangu reports, the currency was in fact benefiting from stuff that had nothing to do with the election whatsoever.

From his story: "The rand enjoyed a fair amount of support against the dollar on Friday morning‚ after rallying to its best level in nine months on Thursday as it took its lead from global markets.

"The local currency pushed to R13.6685 to the greenback on Thursday after the Bank of England (BoE) introduced a package of stimulus measures‚ including an interest rate cut‚ to cushion the country from the blows of the Brexit vote in June.

"The additional liquidity has boosted risk assets and with it a rampant rand that is garnering international favour as the elections play out‚" TreasuryOne dealer Phillip Pearce said.



10.09am

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The IEC just released a fresh batch of results, moving the national total of those counted and vetted from 91% to 92%. This hasn't affected the key battlegrounds of Tshwane (DA ahead by the width of a hair) and Joburg (ANC ahead with the width of chicken feather).

In the national result, the ANC stays at 54% and the DA at 26% with the EFF close to 8%.





10.00am

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ANC is still holding strong in National poll as vote count reaches 92%.

The DA has taken Nelson Mandela Bay, has a comfortable lead in the Western Cape.

The DA has also edged ahead in Tshwane while the ANC still leading Johannesburg by a small margin.



NATIONAL with 92% of the vote counted:

ANC: 54%

DA: 26%

EFF: 8%

IFP: 5%



NELSON MANDELA BAY with 98% of the vote counted and vetted:

DA: 46.65%

ANC: 40.99%

EFF: 5.07%



TSHWANE with 69% of the vote counted and vetted:

DA: 43.69%

ANC: 41.75%

EFF: 10.51%



JOBURG with 66% of the vote counted and vetted:

ANC: 41.84%

DA: 41.72%

EFF: 10.81%



9.55am

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Perhaps inevitably, all eyes are turning to President Jacob Zuma. Looking at the results now - and they may still improve in favour of the ANC in Tshwane and Joburg - they are not flattering for the ruling party. It is being turned into a party of the rural areas, with the major metros either under DA control or heading that way. Was this vote a referendum on Zuma?

Political scientist Daryl Glaser, a University of the Witwatersrand professor, told Radio 702 on Friday that the elections results would likely compel the ANC to look inward for answers. From the report on BDlive:

"This is going to be an introspective moment for the ANC. I think there will be a little bit of blame directed externally at other groups and parties‚ but I think the person who must be most worried is Zuma‚" he said.

"I’ve been saying for a long time that an electoral shock could be the one thing that damages Zuma. In the meantime‚ he’s shown himself to be so resilient that one doesn’t know‚ but this has to be something that’s going to cause the ANC to turn inward and‚ hopefully‚ on the positive side, will initiate a period of more co-operative politics‚" he said.



9.38am

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So the ANC leadership met in the early hours of the morning to consider whether or not to go ahead with an objection to the Nelson Mandela Bay result. It seems as if they might have had some grounds - why were ballot papers recording votes for the ANC and others found abandoned? Poor management? Bad recycling policy?

In the end they decided that it was not worth going ahead with the complaint, perhaps because even if those ballots were counted, they would still have been way behind.

We still deserve a proper answer from the IEC and the police about those ballot papers though.



09.00am

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Here's Athol Trollip's victory speech, much of it in isiXhosa, in which he called out the ANC over not accepting the DA's victory in Nelson Mandela Bay:







08.30am

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It appears the ANC is singing different tunes on conceding defeat in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Earlier, ANC chief whip in Parliament‚ Jackson Mthembu said that the outcome of a consultation with party leadership was to declare that they have lost Nelson Mandela Bay to the DA. However, SAFM is reporting that the party's spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said that the ANC has not conceded defeat and that are still waiting for IEC to declare results.



Nelson Mandela Bay as vote count approaches 99%

DA: 46.65%

ANC: 40.99%

EFF: 5.07%



07.40am

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ANC concedes defeat in Nelson Mandela Bay as vote count reaches 98%. With the ANC saying they will not be demanding a recount, this officiates DA's victory.

DA: 46.60%

ANC: 41.60%

EFF: 5.02%

UDM: 1.85%



7.20am

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Let's get the whole seats vs proportional things straight because there's some confusion out there. In simple terms, parties get all the ward councillors that win their ward elections. These are then topped up with proportional representatives. This is not a fixed number.

Think of it like this: The proportional vote determines the level that your ward councillors will get topped up to.

So, if you win more wards than your opponent, you will still only get a total number of councillors that corresponds to your percentage in the proportional vote contest.



EXAMPLE:

Party 1: 30 councillors, 46% of the vote

Party 2: 30 councillors, 54% of the vote

Party 2 will end up with 54% of the councillors - the 30 councillors it won plus proportional councillors to take it up to 54%

Party 1 will end up with 46% of the councillors - the 30 councillors it won plus fewer proportional councillors to take its total up to 46% of the councillors.

This is why it is only useful to follow the percentage of the vote in PR when reporting on results.



There. Clear as mud.



07.15am

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The African National Congress (ANC) won’t be asking for a recount in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The party’s chief whip in Parliament‚ Jackson Mthembu‚ confirmed this to Radio 702 on Friday morning‚ saying that as the ANC is “magnanimous in victory” it would be the same in the face of defeat.

The ANC had on Thursday lodged a dispute with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) over alleged voting irregularities.

The party’s regional task team coordinator‚ Bheza Ntshona‚ said it had raised concerns about a “systematic attempt to manipulate the outcome of the votes“.



2.15am

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ANC leads national poll‚ DA in strong second place

The state of the election with 90% counted:

DA takes Nelson Mandela Bay, but Tshwane and Joburg still too close to call:



NATIONAL with 90% of the vote counted:

ANC: 54%

DA: 26%

EFF: 8%

IFP: 5%



NELSON MANDELA BAY with 98% of the vote counted and vetted:

DA: 46%

ANC: 41%

EFF: 5%



TSHWANE with 68% of the vote counted and vetted:

DA: 43%

ANC: 42%

EFF: 11%



JOBURG with 66% of the vote counted and vetted:

ANC: 42%

DA: 41%

EFF: 11%



Most of the vote has been counted, but it is still slow going in the big Gauteng battlegrounds. It is now clear that the DA is the biggest party in Nelson Mandela Bay, but there is only one percentage point separating the DA and ANC in Joburg and Tshwane.