Cape Town - Two Eastern Cape municipalities, where the ANC has failed to get an outright majority, look set to follow in the footsteps of other municipalities whereby small parties will be a deciding factor.
In Dr Beyers Naudé Municipality and Kou-Kamma Municipality, the ANC is hovering below the 50% mark.
The party that wants to gain control of the municipalities will have to start talking to other small parties.
The ANC has said it was willing to enter coalition talks with other parties in those municipalities.
In Dr Beyers Naudé, municipality, the Compatriots of South Africa received 3.61% of the vote, the Freedom Front Plus at 3.02%, the Service Delivery Movement 1.12% and the Patriotic Alliance 1.11%.
The ATM is at 0.1% and independent candidates 0.49%.
In Kou-Kamma, the Patriotic Alliance is in third spot, after the ANC and DA, with 10.89% of the vote.
But independent candidates could be kingmakers in the municipality as they have secured 6.2% of the vote.
The EFF has 2.67% and the Freedom Front Plus 2.83%.
The Good Party has also made inroads in Kou-Kamma. It got 2.35%, followed by the Compatriots of South Africa with 0.77%.
The ATM is lagging behind with 0.48%.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
POLITICAL BUREAU