DA leads in key provinces as early results roll in for South Africa’s 2026 local elections

The Citizen leads with a sweeping election-winner narrative, emphasizing a collapse in ANC support, MK Party leading in KwaZulu-Natal, and the DA winning Gauteng.

Daily Maverick foregrounds Johannesburg governance prospects, using interviews with DA, ActionSA, and ANC figures to interpret the emerging results.

The South African leads with a specific vote-total milestone for Gauteng, stating the DA tops 800,000 votes and noting the ANC is narrowing the gap as counting reaches 37%.

IOL emphasizes a “shock” framing for Tshwane, highlighting an expectation that the ANC falls behind DA and ActionSA as results project.

IOL focuses on a declaration moment, foregrounding the DA declaring victory in Cape Town in a live update style.

The South African frames the Western Cape as continuity under the DA, leading with the early-results message that the DA stays in control.

The South African spotlights the national-level closeness in the early count, leading with the ANC ahead but the DA trailing by a small vote/percentage margin.

The South African emphasizes Gauteng first results, leading with claims of a “drastic” ANC decrease alongside a DA lead in the early vote count.

The South African leads with a clear momentum story for Gauteng, reporting the DA surpassing 40% and portraying a commanding early lead over the ANC.

IOL frames its live update around where the DA is ahead as results trickle in, emphasizing Joburg and Cape Town as key areas of progress.

Daily Maverick leads with a campaign-and-voter reaction angle, emphasising the DA’s push for metro dominance and profiling what voters in cities like Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay thought.