Pretoria – The ANC continued to take a lead on Wednesday, just before the clock struck midnight, sitting at just 46.31%, followed by DA at 21.04%, and the EFF at 10.43%.
But it remains to be seen if the ANC will get over the 50% mark and beyond, or will be forced to start contemplating on which parties it will woo to get the majority vote.
While some voters have looked to punish the ruling party at the polls for the lack of service delivery, others may be giving the ANC a chance to govern – with just a certain margin.
By 11.52pm, votes counted so far stood at 93%.
The ANC had already clinched 3 892 seats and 147 councils, while the DA had 1 129 seats.
In Limpopo, the ruling party was sitting with a comfortable 68.33%, while in the Eastern Cape it had already clinched 64.28%.
The other provinces that the party was leading were the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, the Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal.
The EFF has, however, shown its mettle and that it could create a formidable ground. By midnight, it had clinched 713 seats.
But South Africans are now waiting for the IEC to officially declare the results.
Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo, on Wednesday, vowed that the commission would not sleep until it ensures that all votes are completed.
During an earlier press briefing on Wednesday night, Mamabolo said overall results were likely to be released at daybreak on Thursday.
noni.mokati@inl.co.za
Political Bureau