The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has been confirmed the overwhelming winner of elections in two major South African provinces - the economic centre of the country, Gauteng, and ANC leader Jacob Zuma's home province, KwaZulu-Natal.

Early Saturday morning, South African time, final results in only one province - the Western Cape - were outstanding. But the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has already wrested control of the province from the ANC, in the only opposition victory in the national and provincial elections.

On Saturday morning, the ANC had won 11.6 million votes, the DA 2.9 million and the Congress of the People (COPE) - formed by leaders who broke away from the ANC last year - had received 1.3 million votes.

Only when final results are reported, probably on Saturday afternoon, will it be known with certainty whether the ANC has secured the two-thirds majority it hopes for.

While COPE leaders had hoped for greater support, election analysts were giving the party's showing a positive spin, saying it had done well for one only four months old.

The independent television news channel, e.tv, reported Saturday that the ANC had won Gauteng - which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria - with 64,7 percent of the votes. The DA had 21,27 percent and COPE 7,78 percent.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC won 62,9 percent, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) of Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi 22,4 percent and the DA 9.1 percent. The result represents a serious setback for the IFP, which once ruled the province.