The DA has opened up an early lead in Nelson Mandela Bay – expected to be among the tightest of the races in the metros – holding 65.27 percent of the total 40 776 votes counted thus far.
The party has also won the first ward in the metro to have finished counting, taking Ward 11 with 88.16 percent.
This was a significant improvement on its showing in the 2011 local government elections, when it got 79.44 percent of votes in this ward.
However, it is far too early to read any trends into these results, as the just over 40 000 votes counted represent a mere 0.669 percent of the 609 217 voters registered in the metro.
The ANC has 27.11 percent of votes counted and the EFF 3.14 percent.
The picture is likely to change significantly once the more densely populated township voting districts begin to come through.
Political Bureau