A recount of the votes in Ward 15 of the Buffalo City Metro broke the deadlock between the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA).
The two parties initially received an equal number of votes – 1 714 – and the Electoral Commission (IEC) called for a coin toss. to decide the outcome.
The EFF rejected the idea and requested a recount, the recount resulted in an extra 39 votes for the EFF and eight extra for the DA with the former clinching the ward.
The EFF won two wards in the Buffalo City Metro, the EFF mayoral candidate for BCM, Mkhululi Dlevu, says they are still disappointed with what they found.
“After a recount, we found that 58 of those 125 belongs to the PR, a lot of the EFF and in total, when we have done everything allocated all those ballots, we found out that it’s only 26 ballots that are really spoiled ballots. That is the PR site, and also on the Ward Councillor parode. There were 85 spoiled ballots. 39 of those belong to the EFF. Only 8 were those of a DA.”
TODAY- Commissar Mkhululi Dlevu addresses members of the media @SABCNews. The recount of Ward 15 spoiled ballots in Buffalo City Metro has vindicated the EFF’s position that we had won the ward. Of the 85 ward ballots initially declared spoilt, 39 were recovered and counted in favour of the EFF, while 58 of the 125 initially spoilt PR ballots were also validated in favour of the EFF.
#LGE2026
— EFF Eastern Cape (@EFFEASTERNCAPE_) November 7, 2026