The ANC regained a crucial 50%-plus lead in Gauteng with less than 3,000 voting districts left to declare in the 2019 elections.

The ANC was sitting with 50.6% as the DA held on to the second spot with 27.2% and the EFF lagging behind with 14.3% as the IEC was winding down the declaration of voting districts in the country's economic hub.

The ANC is desperate for an outright win to avoid being forced to form a coalition government or get thrown in the opposition benches.

Around 5pm on Friday afternoon, with 2,700 voting districts to still be declared, which included parts of Tshwane and Johannesburg, Gauteng remained on knife edge. As the picture could still change, it might be better for the bubbly to remain on ice.

ANC head of communications Nkenke Kekana had earlier expressed confidence that the party would get a majority rule.

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The party had hovered under 50% for most parts of the day but after voting districts in parts of Soweto and Tshwane were tallied, the picture changed.

Most voting districts are expected to be declared later tonight as the IEC had already declared more than 93% of all voting districts nationally.