It is likely that the final results will be known on Friday. (Oupa Nkosi/M&G)
Final election results filtered in slowly throughout Thursday night, with 74% of the votes counted after 4am on Friday.
The ANC continued to hover at 57%, with the Democratic Alliance at 22% and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at 10%.
Gauteng province remained on a knife edge in the early hours of the morning, with 55% of the votes counted.
The ANC’s support stood at 51%, the DA at 27% and the EFF at 14%.
In the Western Cape, where 94% of the votes were counted, the DA’s support stood at 55%, the ANC at 29% and the EFF at just 4%.
KwaZulu-Natal, in which 61% of the vote has been counted, the ANC’s support was at a low 53%, IFP at 17% and the DA at 16%.
Final results were expected overnight but some parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal remained outstanding.
It is likely that the final results will be known on Friday. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) will then conduct an audit of the results after political parties complained of individuals who were allowed to vote more than once.
The IEC will provide an update on its progress in this regard by midday on Friday.