Cape Town – Smaller parties will emerge as king-makers in Nelson Mandela Bay metro with the ANC unable to get an outright majority.
This is one of the hotly contested metros in the province.
The IEC results show that smaller parties could force the major parties to get into a coalition, as happened in 2016.
Former anti-apartheid activisit Mkhuseli Jack may have failed to gain huge support, but his Abantu Integrity Movement has managed to garner 1.24% of the vote.
The ACDP of Reverend Kenneth Meshoe has so far received 1.54% of the support.
Freedom Front Plus has secured 1.38% of the vote in the metro.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa had campaigned vigorously in the metro and his party was in a coalition in one of the administrations led by the DA before.
His party was now sitting at 1.09% in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The Patriotic Alliance could be another king-maker as its support was at 1.3%.
The Nelson Mandela Bay metro has been the target of both the DA and ANC, but the two parties have not been to reach the 50% mark.
The DA has been governing the municipality since 2016 after it captured it from the ANC.
However, the ANC has said it would be willing to get into coalition talks with other parties.
The DA has said it wants to keep the metro. It has already claimed victory in Kouga, where it has been governing for the last five years.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
POLITICAL BUREAU