DA leader Helen Zille said she was pleased with the party's early showing on the boards at the IEC's results centre in Pretoria on Thursday.

"I was hoping for 15 percent [growth], but it might be 30 percent [growth]," said Zille, moving swiftly from the one media interview to the next to discuss Wednesday's poll.

Earlier, she and ANC general secretary Gwede Mantashe had greeted each other, as the two worked the floor's media cameras and reporters, who were asking the same question: "How do you feel about the party's performance so far?"

Zille said she was delighted that voters understood the issues in this election.

By 9.30am, the Democratic Alliance had garnered 19,03 percent of the vote nationally.

"Earlier it was 21 percent and that was very exciting, but you know how it varies," she said.

The DA and the ANC have been conducting a verbal sparring match through the media over the DA's push against the ANC receiving a two thirds majority so that it cannot make changes to the Constitution.

Mantashe has been repeating that a majority would just be symbolic, with Zille countering that it is already planning Constitutional changes to local governance.

Zille said that Mantashe had asked her earlier if the DA wanted to go into a coalition in the Western Cape.

The DA was showing as the leading party in that province with 51.6 percent of the votes, followed by the ANC with 28.23 percent, Cope at 9.06 percent and ID at 6.87 percent.

"I don't know if he was joking but I said 'no thanks'."

Mantashe said it was indeed a joke.