LIVE RESULTS | Elections 2024: Hope for the ANC as IEC says that only smaller voting districts have been counted

Follow IOL for up-to-date results from the National and Provincial Elections 2024.

At 10pm on Thursday, ANC maintains the lead with over two million votes. The DA is now on 1 245,007, MK Party on 510,760 votes and the EFF on 486,422 votes.

The PA is gripping the fifth position with 165,075 votes.

- Kamogelo Moichela / IOL

IEC general manager Granville Abrahams says they are required to announce the results within seven days but he states that they have to finish counting first.

- Kamogelo Moichela / IOL

IEC General Manager Granville Abrahams explained that the results captured so far represented mostly smaller voting districts.

He said the IEC could not predict the total voter turnout yet.

Abrahams said 55% of the votes had been captured so far, but for the purpose of accuracy, the results board was still reflecting 34.49% of votes counted.

The current voter is standing at about 58.9% voter turnout.

-Sihle Mlambo / IOL

Jacob Zuma may escape disciplinary action 

Will Jacob Zuma use the victory of his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party to escape a negative outcome from the ANC's disciplinary hearing against him?

That's the fear from inside the ANC, according to a senior party leader.

"Of course, things are now on the other foot. With MK finishing us in KwaZulu-Natal Natal, Zuma will use this as a bargaining chip at his disciplinary hearing. He has said he will return to take control of the ANC and this is it. We should have managed him better, suspending him cost us big time in KZN," the insider told IOL.

Zuma was suspended by the ANC earlier this year, after he announced he will not campaign for the ANC, but, instead, will support the MK party.

He later emerged as the leader of MK, prompting the ANC to act against him. His disciplinary hearing was scheduled for this month but later postponed to after the elections.

The ANC's Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula cited fears of violence ahead of the elections as reasons for the postponement.

The ANC has been left shocked at their loss to MK in the elections which is leading KZN currently with 43% of the votes.

The MK's surprise victory prompted the ANC's national Chairperson, Gwede Mantashe to lash out earlier in response. He accused MK of winning on a ticket of 'tribalism' calling 'Zuma's tribalism' a backward form of politics.

But, another key ANC leader who asked not to be named, disagreed. "Zuma is one of us. I'm happy he won KZN. Because better the votes go to him than the IFP," said the leader, who hinted at joining MK.

-Zohra Teke/ IOL

A ballot box is missing Ward 14 in Umhlathuze, KZN.

IEC general manager Granville Abrahams has announced a ballot box has gone missing.

He said the lost ballot box had already been counted, but they were pleading for the safe return of the ballot.

It apparently got lost while being transported to a storage facility after counting.

"We have the misfortune of losing one ballot box. It is a ballot box that contained results that have been already counted. We are quite eager to get back that ballot box. It was transported. Those votes have been counted and recorded, let me just assure you.

"It is inexcusable to find any election material lying around, whether it means anything even if it's a chair or a booklet.

"I did emphasise that those votes in the ballot box have been counted and recorded on the results slip. It is important for us to get it back and place it back into storage," he said.

-Sihle Mlambo / IOL

The DA has reached one million votes.

The DA now has 1,070,723, representing 24.61% of the vote.

The MK has surpassed the EFF for the first time with 9.38% (or 408,004 votes), while the EFF has 396,036.

The PA was still firm in fifth with 3.46% or 150,558 votes.

-Sihle Mlambo / IOL

Fifty people were arrested for flouting Electoral Act.

At least 98 cases of contravention of the Electoral Act have been opened since Monday, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) said on Thursday night.

Chairperson of NatJoints, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, said at least 50 of the accused people have been arrested.

She said one of the accused people has made a court appearance and the rest of the arrested people will soon appear before prioritised courts.

“Tomorrow (Friday) is the last day for those that were processed. Gauteng has the most, where they arrested 20 people,” she told journalists at the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s national results operations centre in Midrand.

-Jonisayi Moromo / IOL

National Treasury says the IEC indicated during the Mid Term Expenditure Framework budget process that they would not need any additional funds to run the elections.

This comes after criticism at the government after more than R350 million was slashed from the IEC as a measure to address the country's debt burden.

“During the 2024 MTEF budget process, the IEC indicated that they will not require any additional allocation for election-related activities provided that approval is granted for them to retain accumulated surpluses of R1.5 billion. This approval was granted by the National Treasury.

“In the 2023/24 financial year, the IEC was allocated R2.23 billion. The IEC is allocated R2.302 billion for the 2024/25 financial year of which R322.2 million was transferred during April 2024.

“A further R1.04 billion is being transferred between May and June 2024 to the Electoral Commission,” said Treasury.

The IEC handled one of its most disruptive elections on Wednesday, with high disruption caused by faltering voter management devices and a perceived insufficient provision of human resources.

-Sihle Mlambo / IOL

KWAZULU-NATAL AND WESTERN CAPE UPDATES

Although it’s within the early stages to predict the results, the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and Democratic Alliance (DA) seem to be pulling away from the African National Congress (ANC) in both KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and the Western Cape.

In KZN, MK Party is leading with 233,281 and in the Western Cape, DA is leading with 493,895.

It’s 7pm now and the MK Party has just surpassed the EFF.

Here is a breakdown:

ANC: 1 743,741

DA: 1 028,255

MK Party: 378,990

EFF: 373,099

PA: 146,778

- Kamogelo Moichela / IOL

GAUTENG UPDATE

The ANC and the DA were neck and neck in Gauteng with 23% of the voting districts processed.

The results from the big metros - Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni - have yet to start filtering through but at the moment, the ANC had a narrow 3.42% lead and it was polling well below 50%.

The ANC has secured 241,790 votes - or 33.58%, while the DA was at 30.16% - or 217,159 votes.

The EFF was third with 11.82% of the vote (or 85,127 votes), while the MK was close by in fourth with 9.33% (or 67,180). In fifth, ActionSA had secured 3.36% of the vote with 24,224 votes.

-Sihle Mlambo / IOL

WESTERN CAPE UPDATE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has surpassed the 50% mark of votes received in the Western Cape.

As the counting continues, the DA has received 390,870 or 52.08% of votes, the ANC is sitting with 155, 396 or 20.7%.

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) remains in third place with 74,136 votes or 9.88%, the Economic Freedom Fighters received 33,152 of votes or 4.42% and the Freedom Front Plus received 15,842 votes or 2.11%.

So far, the counting at 748 of 1,572 voting districts in the Western Cape has been completed.

-Robin-Lee Francke / IOL

The IEC says it has completed all vote counting for the May 29 elections.

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said the process to capture and validate the results was under way.

Over 22.6% of the 23 292 voting districts had been captured, representing 2.3 million votes cast.

The Northern Cape was 63% done with its counting, followed by the Eastern Cape, 58%, Western Cape, 57% and Free State, 56%. Mpumalanga was at 42%, North West at 36%, Gauteng at 28%, Limpopo at 26% and KwaZulu-Natal at 23%.

- Sihle Mlambo/ IOL

The ANC has reached the one million votes mark after 21.52% of the votes counted. The ANC has secured 1,012,892 votes - or 43.43 of the vote. The DA was still second with 575,558 - 24.69%, EFF third at 207,239 - 8.9%, MK fourth with 189,369 - 8.13% and the PA fifth with 93,288 - 4.02%.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which has built a projection model, is predicting the ANC to finish at 41.8%, the DA at 21.2%, the MK at 14%, the EFF at 9.2% and the PA at 1.9. This was according to their latest update on the model at 3pm.

- Sihle Mlambo/ IOL

WESTERN CAPE UPDATE

By 3pm, as votes were still being counted by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the momentum seemed to be growing for the Patriotic Alliance (PA).

PA leader, Gayton Mckenzie took to Facebook to share his elation with his followers, writing: “Which results are our enemies watching? I moved to another room to go make sure my one TV is showing me the right things. Which TV channel is the DA guys watching? The PA is on fire. I thought love is blind but hate is blinder. Loop drink, pis en slaap julle tog. [sic]”

The party is in the top three in the Western Cape with 49,757 votes or 10.87%, the ANC is in second place with 102,203 votes or 22.32%, and the DA remains in the lead with 224,985 votes or 49.13% of votes.

So far, the IEC has completed 516 of 1,572 voting districts in the Western Cape. Only 32.82% of votes have been counted.

-Robin-Lee Francke / IOL

KWAZULU-NATAL UPDATE

The daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, Duduzile Zuma, said they are happy with the results of the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in KwaZulu-Natal Natal (KZN) so far.

She said they will not be in coalition with the ANC nor the DA. However, there was a possibility of one with the EFF.

Duduzile clarified that the MKP is open to everyone and not only to black people.

- Kamogelo Moichela / IOL

At the 20% mark of counting and after 2.1 million valid votes, the ANC had 947,345 votes or 43.39% of the vote. This was followed by 24.83% or 542,083 for the DA, with EFF third with 192,691 or 8.83% and the MK party fourth with 175,990 or 8.06% of the vote. The PA was holding firm at fifth with 88,871 votes or 4.07%.

- Sihle Mlambo / IOL

Leader of the Democratic Alliance Federal Council, Helen Zille, on Thursday said the growth of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in the Western Cape represents “a kind of ethnic identity vote”.

Zille, the former premier of the Western Cape, spoke to journalists at the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s national results operations centre in Midrand, Gauteng.

“I think that the Patrotic Alliance’s growth is primarily scooping up all the small parties like GOOD, like the PBI (Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners). They have taken a big chunk from the ANC and of course they have also taken some of our votes.

“Now that represents a kind of ethnic identity vote, if I can put it that way. That should worry every single South African. If South Africa disintegrates into a whole range of ethnic identity votes, it is going to be very, very difficult to vote for a coherent government,” she said.

-Jonisayi Moromo / IOL

ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe having a conversation with the MK Party members at the National Results Centre in Midrand, on who will stand for former President Jacob Zuma in Parliament.

Mantashe wanted to confess something to the MK Party but chose not to because of the media presence.

GAUTENG UPDATE

Early indications showed the ANC losing ground in the economic heartland of South Africa, Gauteng, with the DA making significant strides.

After 13.48% of the votes counted in Gauteng, the ANC has secured 33.68% (116,703 OF THE votes), followed by the DA at 29.98% (with 103,851 votes) and the EFF third, with 11.71% (or 40,575 votes).

The MK Party was a close fourth, with 9.46% of the vote (32,765).

The newer parties such as ActionSA, 3.41% (or 11,819 votes) while the Patriot Alliance had 1.98% (or 6,867) and Rise Mzansi, 0.67% (or 3,017 votes).

- Sihle Mlambo / IOL

Chief of staff and secretary officer of Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Lei Mchunu says they are excited about the results so far in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

Chief of staff and secretary officer of Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Lei Mchunu says they are excited about the results so far in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

MKP is six months old as a registered political party and is leading the province in terms of numbers.

Vote counting has already begun and shocking numbers are starting to kick in.

Mchunu says the numbers in KZN will skyrocket because they know what the people want and they are there to deliver.

- Kamogelo Moichela / IOL

KWAZULU-NATAL UPDATE

The IEC says 17% of voting results have already been audited in KwaZulu-Natal. 18 voting stations out of 98 in the province are still counting votes. These areas include eThekwini metro and areas like Dundee and Kokstad.

The IEC said despite technical glitches by 11pm people were still waiting to vote. 

- Jolene Marriah - Maharaj / IOL

WESTERN CAPE UPDATE

By midday on Thursday, the Democratic Alliance was still leading the polls in the Western Cape with 219,844 votes (48.9%), followed by the ANC with 88,807 votes (21.5%) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) with 49,788 votes (11.7%).

The Western Cape Results Operations Centre is filling up as political party representatives look at the numbers as the tallies come through.

- Robin Lee Francke / IOL

RESULTS UPDATE : 11:30AM

After over 1.6 million votes counted - representing 16.65% of total ballots counted - this is what it currently looks like for the National Ballot according to the IEC as counting continues across the country : 

ANC — 42.48% 

DA — 25.76%

EFF — 8.5%

MK — 8.01%

PA — 4.43%

Newer parties such as ActionSA (0.77%), Rise Mzansi (0.31%) and Bosa (0.3%) were also polling small percentages.

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe says the results of the MK party in KwaZulu-Natal have taken them by surprise. He insists the party will still secure over 50% of the vote.

Early indications are that Jacob Zuma's fledgling MK party is going to give the ANC a bloody nose in KwaZulu-Natal and possibly reduce its majority, if not take the province.

Mantashe says the ANC will swim successfully in these elections. He said they will develop a strategy to deal with the “threat” MKP.

He shot down claims of “lack of service delivery” as ANC’s numbers declined in KZN.

MKP is currently leading the KZN in terms of numbers.

- Kamogelo Moichela / IOL

WATCH : ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe says the results of the MK party in KwaZulu-Natal have taken them by surprise.

10am - Update on the latest numbers so far

Western Cape update by 10am and 1.08% of votes counted national legislature and 6.62% for the provincial legislature. For the counting for the National Assembly saw the DA with 50.08% and 2.110, the ANC with 21.53% and 907 votes and PA had 17.53% (739 votes). Meanwhile, the Provincial Legislature had 6.62% of votes counted. It saw the DA with 56.49% (31,797 votes) of the support, followed by the ANC with 14.35% (8,079 votes) and the PA with 13.49% (7,596 votes).

CSIR projects major 15% drop for ANC

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has predicted the final results for the elections, with the elections forecasters projecting a massive 15% drop for the ANC.

Professor Pravesh Debba of the CSIR, said their model was predicting the final votes tally could reflect a 42% tally for the ANC, 22% for the DA, 12.8% for the MK and 9% for the EFF.

At the time of the prediction, the ANC had 41.5% of the vote, the DA had 28.18%, EFF had 7.7%, the MK had 7% and the PA had under 2%.

The PA was also expected to drop off.

The CSIR made its prediction at 8.5% of the votes counted. In the 2019 elections, their prediction was just 2% off the mark for the major established parties. They explained that projections were difficult for new parties like the MK as they had no data to compare to. Prof Debba said the projection of the MK could be well overstated by the model due to no previous data to assist the model.

Explaining the difficulty of new parties, in 2014 for the EFF’s first elections, the model predicted 3-4%, but the EFF secured double at 8.39%.

The CSIR has been predicting elections since 1999, with a high degree of accuracy.

National vote tallying has quickly reached the 10% mark before 8am on Thursday.

Most of the votes are trickling in from smaller voting districts around the country.

At 10.02% of the count, the ANC was tracking well below 50% at around 42% - with just under 300,000 votes. The DA was steady at second place with 26.34% or 207,779, EFF at 8.1% or 63,932, the MK at 7.6% or 60,115 and the PA at 4.9% or 38,805.

MK Party slams IEC over Section 24 issues

The MK party has slammed the IEC for “mismanaging the ongoing electoral process by undermining the constitutional rights of all South Africans to freely choose their government”. They say the commission “showed lack of competence by ignoring to communicate critical changes to the Electoral Act, specifically Section 24”, with regards to changes in law about how people could only vote where they were registered.

The MK’s head of elections, Muzi Ntshingila, said “this change was poorly communicated merely days before the elections, leading to widespread confusion and disenchantment among the electorate”.

“Such missteps not only compromise the electoral process but also frustrated citizens whose primary concern is a change towards a better life from the pains of the (President Cyril) Ramaphosa-ANC,” he said.

They also called on IEC top management to resign for bringing the organisation into disrepute.

8am - National Assembly results are 8.5 percent complete

The ANC had 41.77 percent of the support, followed by the DA with 27.52 percent and the EFF with 7.72 percent.

While too early to make predictions, the current ruling party, although slightly below the 2019 results, maintains the lead.

The African National Congress (ANC) had 249,045 votes and 41.77% of the support, followed by the Democratic Alliance’s 27.52% with 164,061 votes and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has 7.72% of support with 46,015 votes.

New kid on the political block, uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) were in fourth place with 7.54% (44,980) followed by the Patriotic Alliance (PA) with 4.56% (27,175). Read more here

6am - Late night voting chaos as thousands vote into Thursday as IEC voter devices glitch

Thousands of voters around the country were still in queues after 12am on Thursday waiting to cast their votes after the May 29 elections were rocked by snaking queues around the country, particularly in the metros of Durban, Joburg and Cape Town.

The seismic delays stemmed from the voter management devices (VMDs) which persistently glitched at several municipalities around the country as voters queued to cast their vote. Read more here

MK Party scoops majority of KZN's votes as counting gets under way

Ballot counting has gotten under way with Electoral Commission (IEC) officials in districts across the country following Wednesday’s national and provincial elections.

In KwaZulu-Natal, Jacob Zuma's MK Party already leads the race with more than 37.70%, followed by the ANC with 33.22%, the IFP with 16.83% and the DA with 6.81%.

In Gauteng, the DA has taken the lead with 51.15%, followed by the ANC with 24.53% and VF PLUS with 9.36% while in the Western Cape; the DA has 50.28%, with the ANC on 21.21% and PA on 17.09%.

So far, the IEC said counting at 218 of 23 293 voting districts have been completed.

According to the Electoral Act, the Commission has seven days within which to announce the results.

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