Pretoria - There was a gap of a little more than 3.8 million votes between the ANC and the DA in the national election results just before 3pm on Thursday.
The African National Congress was leading nationally with 5 913 568 votes, which was 63.56 percent of the counted vote.
The ruling party has said it is aiming for a two thirds majority at this year's poll. In 2009 the ANC won the national election with 65.50 percent of the vote.
The Democratic Alliance had so far captured 2 031 745 of the national vote. The party was set to secure its position as the official opposition.
Newcomers, the Economic Freedom Fighters, were holding third spot with 458 238 votes, which were 4.93 percent of the counted vote.
The total votes counted at the time was 9,303,929.
The Inkatha Freedom Party had 226 535 (2.43 percent) of the national vote, while its break-away the National Freedom Party garnered 151 876 (1.63 percent).
This was the first time the NFP was contesting elections nationally. It had contested the local government elections in 2011.
Bantu Holomisa's United Democratic Movement on Thursday afternoon had captured 104 397 votes (1.12 percent), the Freedom Front Plus 87,946, and the Congress of the People 70 812 (0.76 percent).
A political party needs around 47 000 votes to secure a seat in Parliament's National Assembly.
At this stage this puts other new hopefuls to the political landscape, such as Mamphela Ramphele's Agang SA, Kenny Kunene's Patriotic Alliance, and the mineworkers' Workers and Socialist Party, out of the running.
Agang SA had 19 121 (0.21 percent), the PA 10 575 (0.11 percent), and Wasp 4 439 (0.05 percent).
Political party veterans, such as the African Christian Democratic Party on Thursday had so far 50,775 (0.55 percent), which would give it one seat in Parliament, while the Pan Africanist Congress had 18 813 votes (0.20 percent) which would not give it a seat.
Sapa