JOHANNESBURG, Dhu-AlQa'dah 3, 1437, Aug 6, 2016, SPA -- South Africa's ruling party was in a close race early on Saturday in two major cities after losing one other key municipality in its worst electoral performance since the end of apartheid, according to Reuters. The African National Congress has ruled virtually unopposed since it ended white-minority rule in 1994 with Nelson Mandela at its helm. The party was still leading in the overall count in the nationwide municipal vote, with 98 percent of ballots counted. But it lost to the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in the municipality of Nelson Mandela Bay, which includes the city of Port Elizabeth, a key manufacturing hub and port city. "We've lost Nelson Mandela Bay, we've conceded that we've lost it," Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said. The DA was also narrowly ahead in the country's economic hub of Johannesburg, while the ANC held a slim margin in Tshwane, home to the capital Pretoria. The DA, which last year elected its first black leader, Mmusi Maimane, as part of its efforts to shake off its image as a party that mainly serves white interests, has retained control of Cape Town, which it has held since 2006. Final results are due late on Saturday. -- SPA 02:42 LOCAL TIME 23:42 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w