Cape Town - The ANC and the DA are neck and neck in Nelson Mandela Bay as the battle to control the metro intensifies.
The IEC results show that the DA was slightly ahead of the ANC after garnering 39.92% of the votes.
The ANC is hot on its heels with 39.43% of the votes in the hotly contested metro.
The EFF has received 6.4% of electoral support in the area.
The ANC has said it would start discussing the issue of coalitions in Nelson Mandela Bay.
ANC provincial spokesperson Loyiso Magqashela said the office of the provincial secretary, Lulama Ngcukayitobi, will lead the negotiations.
The DA was also looking at coalition partners.
The DA stopped the ANC dominance of the municipality in 2016, when it got into coalitions with other parties including the UDM.
But the fight for control of Nelson Mandela Bay would be determined by who has more willing partners to govern it.
Magqashela said they will know the situation in the next few days.
“Over the weekend we will be at that stage to say this is the direction we should be taking,” Magqashela said.
He said the national leadership of the ANC will set the tone for them in discussions around coalition partners.
The battle for Nelson Mandela Bay began after the voting started with the DA and ANC fighting for the top position.
However, none of the two parties has received an outright majority or breached the 50% mark.
This has forced them to talk to coalition partners to form a new council.
POLITICAL BUREAU