None of Gauteng's three metros has a party with an outright majority after the 4 November local government elections, according to council seat counts drawn from Electoral Commission results. Whoever governs Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni will have to be elected mayor by a coalition or a minority arrangement.
The numbers below show how far each party is from a majority. They are arithmetic, not predictions: no party has announced a deal.
Johannesburg: 136 of 270 seats needed
The DA holds 91 seats, up from 71 in 2021, according to the seat counts. The ANC has 63 (down from 91) and ActionSA 43. The EFF has 17 seats and the MK Party 15. The DA is 45 seats short of a majority. The DA and ActionSA together would hold 134 seats, two short of the 136 needed.
Tshwane: 108 of 214 seats needed
The DA leads with 74 seats, followed by ActionSA with 48 and the ANC with 44 (down from 75). The Freedom Front Plus has 17 seats and the EFF 13. The DA and ActionSA together would hold 122 seats, comfortably above the 108 needed.
Ekurhuleni: 113 of 224 seats needed
The DA has 66 seats, the ANC 59 (down from 86) and ActionSA 40. The MK Party has 15, the EFF 14 and the Freedom Front Plus 11. The DA and ActionSA together would hold 106 seats, seven short of a majority, so a third party would be needed.
What the parties have said
ActionSA has said it wants Nasiphi Moya to remain Tshwane mayor. A report on a possible DA and ActionSA arrangement says ActionSA would keep Tshwane in exchange for backing DA control of Ekurhuleni, with Johannesburg co-governed. Neither party has confirmed that. EFF leader Julius Malema said: "There's no negotiation that is going to say ActionSA must have two municipalities."
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has said the party is "not in the business of begging for mayorship or any other position."
What happens next
Councils must hold their first meetings within 14 days of the results being declared, and mayors and speakers are elected at those meetings. The IEC declared the final results on Sunday 8 November. The ANC's national executive committee meets on Thursday to consider coalition options.
What we do not yet know
The seat figures come from a compilation of Electoral Commission data, and we have not seen the commission's own certified seat allocation. Reports also differ on how many municipalities are hung: figures of 126, 137 and 138 have been given. No party has confirmed any coalition agreement, and the numbers above do not account for smaller parties or independents.
