ANC suffers defeat in South African capital

South Africa's ruling African National Congress suffered a historic defeat in the country's capital, where it lost to the opposition Democratic Alliance in local polls, the electoral commission said Saturday.

Reacting to the worst election result for the party since the end of white-minority rule 22 years ago, President Jacob Zuma said voters had been heard.

"These elections were hotly contested, that is how it should be in a democracy," said Zuma, who is facing questions about his position after the poll.

In Tshwane, the metropolitan area that includes Pretoria, the DA won 43.1 percent of the vote over the ANC's 41.2 percent, according to final results.

The ANC also lost its majority in Johannesburg, the country's economic centre, where it won 44.5 percent of the vote, and will now have to seek political allies in order to retain control.

The election results have highlighted the declining popularity of the party that led South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle.

The setback to the ANC "happened quicker and harder than everyone thought! It's a shocker for everyone," said independent political analyst Ralph Mathekga.

The loss of Pretoria comes on top of the ANC conceding defeat Friday in Port Elizabeth, a key battleground of Wednesday's municipal election.

Defeat in Port Elizabeth, by a margin of 46.7 to 40 percent, was a humiliating blow for the ruling party -- the area is officially known as "Nelson Mandela Bay" after the former ANC leader.

At the national level ANC remains the nation's top party, but it has seen its support plunge eight points from 2011, when it won 53.9 percent.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane hailed the results as a landmark for his party.

"This is a tipping point for the people of South Africa," he said. "This represents for all of us the fact that we are a party not only of opposition, but of government."