The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has released its first national projections for the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE), with the African National Congress (ANC) emerging as the leading party in the early estimates.
The projections are based on the results available so far, with the CSIR warning that the figures could change as more voting districts complete their counting and results are declared.
CSIR's Dr Pravesh Debba says that, with 13% of voting districts declared, the ANC is projected to secure approximately 31.7% of the vote.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is forecast to come in second with 25.8%, followed by the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP) at 9%.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is projected to receive around 6%, while ActionSA is expected to secure approximately 5%.
Debba cautioned that these figures remain preliminary estimates and will be updated as more election results become available.