Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has emerged as the leading party in KwaZulu-Natal's local government elections, taking more than a third of the vote in its first ever contest at municipal level and pushing the African National Congress (ANC) into a close battle for second place.

With 99 per cent of voting districts counted, according to live results from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the MK Party had won 34.3 per cent of the vote, or 2,162,857 ballots, and 580 council seats. The ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) were tied on 20.3 per cent each, with the ANC on 1,277,806 ballots and 353 seats and the IFP on 1,277,373 ballots and 458 seats. The Democratic Alliance (DA) was fourth on 14.1 per cent.

The result confirms the MK Party's status as a regional powerhouse in the province where Zuma, the former president, launched it in December 2023. In the 2024 national and provincial elections, the party took 45.3 per cent of the vote in KwaZulu-Natal, ahead of the IFP on 18.07 per cent and the ANC on 16.99 per cent.

Durban still to be decided

The biggest prize, the eThekwini metro that includes Durban, remained undeclared as counting continued. The MK Party led there with 38.4 per cent and 67 ward seats, and was projected to finish with 86 of the council's 223 seats, well short of the 112 needed for a majority. The metro has been governed by the ANC for decades, and the party that runs it will need coalition partners.

Across the province, 43 of the 44 councils had been fully counted, with 10 producing majorities and 33 left hung, meaning no party won outright control. The MK Party won its first outright majority in a municipality in Richmond, where it took 56.3 per cent of the vote. The DA retained uMngeni with 61.1 per cent.

Although the MK Party leads the provincial vote, the IFP was leading in more individual municipalities. Earlier in the count, the IFP was ahead in 18 municipalities against the MK Party's 17, with 31 of the province's 44 councils hung at that stage. The split between the provincial vote and the municipal map means coalition negotiations will decide who actually governs most of the province's towns and cities.

Objection lodged over eThekwini

The count has not passed without dispute. The MK Party has lodged a formal objection with the IEC over alleged irregularities in the voting, counting and electronic capturing of results in eThekwini. The IEC was expected to announce the final results on Sunday, 8 November, and has seven days from the election to declare them, after which new councils must hold their first meetings within 14 days to elect speakers and mayors.

Nationally, the picture is harsher for the ANC, which was on about 31 per cent with most votes counted, its worst local election result, while the DA led in most of the big cities. The fate of Johannesburg, Tshwane and other hung councils now rests on two weeks of coalition bargaining.

For KwaZulu-Natal, the immediate question is who the MK Party can govern with. The DA's mayoral candidate in eThekwini has ruled out a coalition with the party, setting up a contest over whether rival parties can assemble a majority without it. With the IFP holding the balance in many councils and the ANC still a force in the province, the weeks of negotiation ahead will matter as much as the votes already counted.

[Source: Rateweb (IEC results)](https://www.rateweb.co.za/elections-2026/results/kwazulu-natal/) | [Source: African News Agency](https://africannewsagency.com/ifp-leads-in-more-kzn-municipalities-despite-mk-partys-provincial-vote-lead/)