With nearly one-third counted, ANC maintains lead in elections
With close to one-third of the vote counted by 10.20am on Thursday, the ANC had obtained 54.77% of the national vote, followed by the DA with 26.12% and the EFF with 8.42%.
Election day was marred by logistical issues, leaving many political parties upset. However, the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) has said glitches at the poll would not affect the credibility of the election.
The May 8 poll was touted as the most hotly contested since 1994.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said the expected turnout for the 2019 election was about 71%.
One of the main election battlegrounds was the country’s economic hub of Gauteng, where the DA is hoping to bring the ANC below 50%. If this happens, the province could be governed by a coalition.
Only 19.56% of the vote had been counted in Gauteng on Thursday morning. At the time, the ANC had 50.32% of the vote and the DA 27.72%. The EFF had 13.82%.
Live results of the national vote in the 2019 general elections
According to the CSIR, it is too early to give a good prediction of what could happen in Gauteng, since the counting at a number of large township areas has not been reported yet.
In the Western Cape, where the DA is hoping to retain its hold, 55.41% of the vote had been counted.
The DA was leading with 57.06%, followed by the ANC with 26.90%. In third place was Patricia de Lille’s Good party, with 3.17% of the vote.
The video could not be loaded.