South Africa's main opposition party wins Nelson Mandela metro

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane gestures as he speaks to members of the media at the result center in Pretoria, South Africa August 4,2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) won the symbolic Nelson Mandela Bay municipality on Friday in local elections seen as a barometer of the ruling African National Congress' popularity two decades after the end of apartheid. The DA garnered 47 percent of votes compared with 41 percent for the ANC. The leftist Economic Freedom Fighters polled 5 percent, with smaller parties sharing the rest, the election commission said on its website. (Reporting by James Macharia; Editing by Ed Cropley)