MK Party leads in provisional eThekwini count

The Electoral Commission of South Africa said vote counting and verification were continuing on Friday, with thousands of results still to be processed, as preliminary figures showed the uMkhonto weSizwe Party leading in eThekwini. By early Friday morning, about two-thirds of votes in the municipality had been counted. The MK Party had 44% of the vote and was projected to win 11 council seats, while the Democratic Alliance had 20% and had not yet secured a seat in the reported projection. The figures are provisional, and ward seats remained to be determined through the seat-allocation process. ANC national spokesperson Mdumiseni Ntuli said the party hoped to secure about two seats in eThekwini. Proportional-representation seats were still expected to be allocated, so the current figures do not establish the final composition of the council. The commission’s count and verification process was still under way across the country. Counting was expected to finish by Saturday, November 7, and the final results declaration was scheduled for Sunday evening, November 8. Results become official after the commission declares them. The partial eThekwini count comes amid expectations that...