Developing story: these are provisional, partial figures. This story follows our earlier report on the MK Party's early lead in KwaZulu-Natal and eThekwini.
The MK Party was leading the provincial vote in KwaZulu-Natal with 34% when 88% of votes had been counted by 7pm on Friday, according to provisional figures, ahead of the IFP on 23%, the ANC on 21% and the DA on 13%.
The figures came from the provisional results dashboard. The IEC's KwaZulu-Natal provincial electoral officer, Ntombifuthi Masinga, said the Commission aimed to conclude counting on Saturday and that the official outcome would be known only after capturing, verification and auditing.
Metros without a clear majority
In eThekwini, with 64% of the vote counted, the MK Party was on 40%, the DA on 23% and the ANC on 17%. No party was close to an outright majority in that count.
In Msunduzi, with 50% counted, the MK Party was on 34%, the DA on 25% and the ANC on 20%, a result that points towards coalition negotiations if the pattern holds.
Party reaction
ANC KwaZulu-Natal convenor Mike Mabuyakhulu said: "The ANC has faced bigger challenges before but managed to bounce back." DA provincial leader Sithembiso Ngema said the party had significantly increased its support in the province.
What we do not yet know
- The Msunduzi and eThekwini figures are partial counts and may shift as the remaining voting districts are captured.
- Which parties will work together has not been announced. Several parties said coalition talks would follow the final results.
- How many KwaZulu-Natal municipalities each party will lead remains unclear until the IEC finalises results.
We will update this story when the IEC publishes updated figures.
