BUFFALO CITY, EASTERN CAPE – The African National Congress (ANC) is currently leading the vote count in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, securing 39.51% of the combined valid ward and proportional representation votes recorded so far in the 2026 Local Government Elections.
With vote counting still in progress, the latest available Electoral Commission (IEC) results summary, printed at 18:28 on Thursday, 5 November 2026, places the ANC ahead of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and United Democratic Movement (UDM).
According to the figures, the ANC has received 147,191 votes across the two ballot categories, representing 39.51% of the valid votes recorded in the summary.
The DA is currently in second place with 73,608 votes, or 19.76%, while the UDM follows closely with 67,095 votes, representing 18.01%.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has secured 26,462 votes, accounting for 7.10%, while the South African Communist Party (SACP) has received 16,146 votes, representing 4.33%.
Other parties include the African Transformation Movement (ATM) with 6,912 votes (1.86%), Freedom Front Plus with 5,872 votes (1.58%), Patriotic Alliance with 5,776 votes (1.55%), and ActionSA with 4,989 votes (1.34%).
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party has received 3,625 votes, representing 0.97%.
ANC Currently Below 40%
The figures show the ANC currently holding less than 40% of the combined valid votes recorded in Buffalo City.
However, with counting still underway, these percentages remain subject to change as additional votes are counted and captured.
The DA and UDM are separated by 6,513 votes, with the UDM performing particularly strongly on the proportional representation ballot.
On the PR ballot, the UDM has received 37,151 votes, representing 19.98%, compared with the DA’s 36,473 votes, or 19.61%.
The ANC currently has 72,577 proportional representation votes, representing 39.03%.
More Than 379,000 Ballots Recorded
According to the IEC summary, a total of 379,183 ballots have been recorded across the ward and proportional representation categories.
Of these, 372,510 are valid votes, while 6,673 have been recorded as spoilt ballots.
The document also lists total voter turnout as 190,870.
These figures reflect the results contained in the IEC summary at the time it was generated and should not be regarded as the final election outcome.
Final Results Still Awaited
Although the ANC currently leads the vote count, it remains too early to determine the final political composition of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.
The final allocation of council seats will depend on the completed election results and the applicable seat allocation process.
With counting still in progress, the positions and percentages of political parties could change.
Komani News will continue monitoring the Buffalo City election results as further figures become available.
