The queue · one line per election · a place per 100 000 on the roll 1994: 87% turned out (of an estimated electorate; there was no roll) · 2024: 59% Gold rings: registered voters who did not vote
Republic of South Africa · ǃke e: ǀxarra ǁke
Thirty years in the queue.
In 1994, the first election in which every adult South African could vote, about 19,7 million people voted,
with no voters' roll. In 2024
the roll had 27 782 081 names and 16 291 516 came (58,6%).
Each line is one national election.
Voters chose councillors for the 8 metros and 205 local municipalities, and in local municipalities also for the 44
district councils. Ballots are counted at each voting station; the Electoral Commission must declare each result
within seven days, by 11 November 2026.
IEC snapshot of 6 November 2026
Councils declared104of 213 councils declared
Voting districts counted69%16 251 of 23 696 voting districts
Seats declared3 257of 8 825 ward and PR seats
Majority · hung31 · 73declared councils with one party above half, and without
Leading parties, nationally
ANC31,7%1 448 seats
DA24,9%738 seats
MK8,8%272 seats
EFF6,1%137 seats
ActionSA4,8%29 seats
IFP4,6%161 seats
Share of valid ward and PR votes in the 213 metro and local councils, as the IEC adds them up; seats won so far.
The eight metros
City of Johannesburgcounting · 46% of districts · DA leads
City of Cape Towncounting · 50% of districts · DA leads
eThekwinicounting · 25% of districts · MK leads
Ekurhulenicounting · 59% of districts · ANC leads
City of Tshwanecounting · 62% of districts · ANC leads
Nelson Mandela Baycounting · 75% of districts · ANC leads
Buffalo Citycounting · 98% of districts · ANC leads
The ANC won 159 seats in 2024, 42 short of a majority, the first time since 1994 it had none. Ten parties signed the
statement of intent for a Government of National Unity in June 2024; together they hold 287 seats, more
than the 60% of seats the statement calls "sufficient consensus".
ANC159GNU
DA87GNU
IFP17GNU
PA9GNU
VF+6GNU
UDM3GNU
Rise2GNU
Al Jama-ah2GNU
PAC1GNU
GOOD1GNU
MK58
EFF39
ActionSA6
ACDP3
ATM2
BOSA2
NCC2
UAT1
Seats as won on 29 May 2024 (IEC seat calculation). GNU parties are on the left of the chart. Members who have
since left their seats are replaced from the same party's list.
From the left: the ten GNU parties (287 seats), then the opposition (113). The
dotted line marks the middle of the House.
Who holds office · as of 5 November 2026
Elected by the House, appointed by the President.
PresidentCyril RamaphosaSince 15 February 2018 · ANCElected by the National Assembly from among its members on 14 June 2024 for a second full term (Constitution s.86); a president may serve no more than two terms (s.88(2)). He ceased to be an MP on election (s.87).
Deputy PresidentPaul MashatileSince 7 March 2023 · ANCAppointed by the President from among the members of the National Assembly (s.91(3)(a)); reappointed in the GNU cabinet sworn in on 3 July 2024.
Speaker of the National AssemblyThoko DidizaSince 14 June 2024 · ANCElected by the Assembly at its first sitting (s.52).
Deputy Speaker of the National AssemblyAnnelie LotrietSince 14 June 2024 · DA
RM Chairperson of the National Council of ProvincesRefilwe Mtshweni-TsipaneSince 15 June 2024 · ANCElected by the NCOP from among the permanent delegates for five years (s.64). Spelled Mtsweni-Tsipane in some government texts.
Chief JusticeMandisa MayaSince 1 September 2024Appointed by the President after consulting the Judicial Service Commission and the leaders of parties in the National Assembly (s.174(3)); first woman to hold the office.
DM Deputy Chief JusticeDunstan MlamboSince 1 August 2025Appointed under s.174(3) after the JSC interviews of July 2025.
KG Public ProtectorKholeka GcalekaSince 1 November 2023Recommended by the National Assembly and appointed by the President (s.193) for a non-renewable seven-year term (s.183).
TM Auditor-GeneralTsakani MalulekeSince 1 December 2020Appointed for a fixed, non-renewable term of five to ten years (s.189); the first woman Auditor-General.
MM Chairperson, Electoral Commission (IEC)Mosotho MoepyaReappointed commissioner for a second seven-year term and designated chairperson in November 2025 (Electoral Commission Act s.6, s.8(1)). Commissioners are recommended by the National Assembly from a panel chaired by the Chief Justice and appointed by the President (Constitution s.193(5)).
Since the Electoral Amendment Act of 2023 every voter at home had two National Assembly ballots. The regional
ballot filled 200 seats province by province, with independent candidates allowed to stand; the national
ballot then decided the 200 compensatory seats, which top each party up to its share of the national vote.
16 078 093 valid national ballots at a quota of 79 596 votes a seat.
Party
National ballot
Share
Regional seats
Compensatory
Total
ANCAfrican National Congress
6 459 692
40,2%
86
73
159
DADemocratic Alliance
3 506 864
21,8%
45
42
87
MKuMkhonto weSizwe Party
2 344 311
14,6%
27
31
58
EFFEconomic Freedom Fighters
1 529 963
9,5%
22
17
39
IFPInkatha Freedom Party
618 209
3,8%
9
8
17
PAPatriotic Alliance
330 425
2,1%
4
5
9
VF+Freedom Front Plus
219 053
1,4%
2
4
6
ActionSAActionSA
192 372
1,2%
2
4
6
ACDPAfrican Christian Democratic Party
96 578
0,6%
0
3
3
UDMUnited Democratic Movement
78 446
0,5%
1
2
3
RiseRise Mzansi
67 979
0,4%
1
1
2
BOSABuild One South Africa
65 923
0,4%
0
2
2
ATMAfrican Transformation Movement
63 554
0,4%
0
2
2
Al Jama-ahAl Jama-ah
39 068
0,2%
0
2
2
NCCNational Coloured Congress
37 423
0,2%
1
1
2
PACPan Africanist Congress of Azania
36 712
0,2%
0
1
1
UATUnited Africans Transformation
35 679
0,2%
0
1
1
GOODGOOD
29 500
0,2%
0
1
1
IEC results files for 29 May 2024, reproduced by this site's seat calculation.
No independent candidate won a seat. ACDP, BOSA, ATM, Al Jama-ah, PAC, UAT, GOOD won no regional seat: all their seats are compensatory.
“Diverse people unite”, on the coat of arms since 27 April 2000, “written in the Khoisan language of the ǀXam
people” (gov.za). Government pages type it with ASCII stand-ins; here it is written with the click letters.
ǃalveolar click · U+01C3 · not “!”
ǀdental click · U+01C0 · not “/”
ǁlateral click · U+01C1 · not “//”
Twelve official languages
The wordmark cycles through “the right to vote” in the eleven written official languages, each as printed in
section 19(3)(a) of that language's edition of the Constitution:
FranchiseEnglish
Tokelo ya go boutaSepedi
Tokelo ya ho kgethaSesotho
Tshwanelo ya go tlhophaSetswana
Lilungelo lekuvotasiSwati
Pfanelo ya u khethaTshivenda
Mfanelo yo vhotaXitsonga
Reg om te stemAfrikaans
Ilungelo lokuvowudaisiNdebele
Ilungelo lokuvotaisiXhosa
Ilungelo lokuvotaisiZulu
The twelfth, South African Sign Language, became official under the Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Act of
2023. It is signed, not written, so it has no word in the cycle.
President Cyril Ramaphosa Since 15 February 2018 · ANC Elected by the National Assembly from among its members on 14 June 2024 for a second full term (Constitution s.86); a president may serve no more than two terms (s.88(2)). He ceased to be an MP on election (s.87). 
Deputy President Paul Mashatile Since 7 March 2023 · ANC Appointed by the President from among the members of the National Assembly (s.91(3)(a)); reappointed in the GNU cabinet sworn in on 3 July 2024. 
Speaker of the National Assembly Thoko Didiza Since 14 June 2024 · ANC Elected by the Assembly at its first sitting (s.52). 
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Annelie Lotriet Since 14 June 2024 · DA 
Chief Justice Mandisa Maya Since 1 September 2024 Appointed by the President after consulting the Judicial Service Commission and the leaders of parties in the National Assembly (s.174(3)); first woman to hold the office.