South Africa Local Elections 2026: Date, Parties and Metros
SOUTH AFRICA · ELECTIONS 2026 · GUIDE
Updated 16 October 2026
South Africa holds local government elections on Wednesday 4 November 2026, a public holiday, when voters choose 10,526 councillors in all 257 municipalities, including the eight big metros such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time (midnight to 2 p.m. ET), and only people already on the voters’ roll, which closed on 7 August, can vote, at the voting station where they registered.
Key Facts
- Election day: Wednesday 4 November 2026, declared a public holiday by President Cyril Ramaphosa
- Voting hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. South African time, which is midnight to 2 p.m. ET
- What is elected: 10,526 council seats in 8 metros, 44 district and 205 local municipalities
- Ballots: Two in the metros (ward and party list), three elsewhere (ward, local party list and district)
- Who can vote: South African citizens aged 18 or over on the voters’ roll; about 29.2 million are registered, according to the IEC
- ID needed: Green bar-coded ID book, smart ID card or temporary identity certificate
- Results: By law within seven days; in 2021 final results came three days after the vote
When and How South Africans Vote
Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa proclaimed the election in the Government Gazette on 7 August 2026, which also closed the voters’ roll. The Electoral Commission of South Africa, known as the IEC, runs the vote and has secured 23,696 voting stations.
Voters who cannot get to their station on election day, for example because of disability or illness, could apply for a special vote until 12 October. Special votes are cast on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 November from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at home visits or at voting stations.
On election day voters must bring a green bar-coded ID book, a smart ID card or a temporary identity certificate. They can vote only at the station in the voting district where they are registered, and can check it by sending their ID number by SMS to 32810 or on the IEC website.
What Is Being Elected
South Africa has 257 municipalities: 8 large metropolitan councils, 44 district councils and 205 local councils. Councils mix ward councillors, elected by name in each of the 4,488 wards, with councillors elected from party lists in proportion to the vote.
Voters in the metros receive two ballots, one for their ward councillor and one for a party. Voters elsewhere receive three, adding a ballot for the district council, and after the vote each council elects its mayor.
The IEC certified a record 136,790 candidates, including 621 independents, against 95,427 in 2021. Ballots will be long in the big cities, with 75 parties on the party ballot in Johannesburg and 69 in eThekwini.
The Parties, Explained
Since the 2024 national election, when the African National Congress lost its majority, South Africa has been run by a Government of National Unity of ten parties. Local coalitions do not follow that pattern, and many councils have been governed by shifting alliances since 2021.
The Metros to Watch
The eight metros hold most of the urban vote, and five of them ended up with no majority in 2021. The poll figures below come from an Ipsos survey of 3,600 South Africans, with registered voters as the base, taken in June and July and published on 4 September, as reported by Daily Maverick.
The metro samples carry wide margins of error, from about 5.6 points in Johannesburg to more than 15 points in the smallest metros. Treat the survey as a snapshot taken before the candidate lists were final, not as a forecast.
The ANC’s Missing Candidates
The IEC excluded 181 ANC candidates in six municipalities because the party did not press “submit as final” on its lists before the deadline of 5 p.m. on 28 August. The six are Mangaung in the Free State, uMshwathi in KwaZulu-Natal and four Eastern Cape municipalities: Sundays River Valley, Walter Sisulu, Ingquza Hill and Port St Johns.
The Electoral Court upheld the exclusion on 16 September, and the Constitutional Court heard the ANC’s appeal on 12 October. On Thursday 15 October the Constitutional Court upheld the appeal by majority and ordered the IEC to put the 181 candidates back on the ballots, including in Mangaung.
When Results Come In
Votes are counted at each voting station after polls close at 9 p.m., and results flow to a national results operations centre and nine provincial centres. By law the IEC must declare results within seven days, which would be Wednesday 11 November, unless the Electoral Court grants more time.
In 2021 the vote was held on Monday 1 November and the IEC announced final results on the evening of Thursday 4 November. That election left 66 councils with no party in control, so coalition talks may decide many mayors after the count.
What It Means for Foreign Residents and Visitors
Local councils deliver water, electricity distribution, refuse collection and local roads, which is why these elections shape daily life more than their name suggests. Johannesburg has had several mayors since 2021 as coalitions collapsed, and investors watch whether the big metros get stable majorities.
Foreign residents cannot vote, and election day is a public holiday, so many offices and some shops will close. For social grant payment dates in November, see our SASSA grant guide.
What Is Not Known
The Constitutional Court has not yet published its written reasons for the 15 October ruling on the ANC’s excluded candidates, and the final number of parties on the ballot nationally has not been published. Polls taken before the candidate lists were final may not reflect the race in November.
Coalition deals can only be made once results are in, so the mayors of the hung metros may not be known for weeks. We will update this guide as the IEC publishes results.
More: South Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Related: South Africa municipal elections test the ANC · ActionSA’s manifesto on broken municipalities · Who is Cyril Ramaphosa
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the 2026 local elections in South Africa?
The local government elections are on Wednesday 4 November 2026. President Ramaphosa has declared the day a public holiday.
What are the voting hours on 4 November?
Voting stations are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. South African time. Special votes are cast on 2 and 3 November from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Can I still register to vote?
No, the voters’ roll closed when the election was proclaimed on 7 August 2026. You can check your registration by sending your ID number by SMS to 32810 or on the IEC website.
What ID do I need to vote in South Africa?
You need a green bar-coded ID book, a smart ID card or a temporary identity certificate. You can vote only at the station where you are registered.
How many ballots will I get?
Voters in the eight metros get two ballots, one for a ward councillor and one for a party. Voters in other municipalities get three, including one for the district council.
When will the local election results be announced?
The IEC must declare results within seven days of the vote. In 2021 it announced final results three days after polling day.
Sources: IEC, 2026 election timetable · IEC, 136,790 candidates certified, 16 September 2026 · IEC, final wards handover · IEC, municipal elections factsheet · IEC home page (registered voters) · SAnews, proclamation, 7 August 2026 · The Presidency via gov.za, public holiday · IEC news, results operations centres · Municipal Electoral Act, section 64 · IEC, 2021 final results · Daily Maverick, 66 hung councils, 4 November 2021 · Ipsos, 4 September 2026 · Daily Maverick, Ipsos figures, 13 September 2026 · Daily Maverick, ANC exclusion, 16 September 2026 · Daily Maverick, Constitutional Court hearing, 12 October 2026 · News24, 12 October 2026 · Sunday Times, metro battles, 17 September 2026 · IOL, mayoral candidates, 7 September 2026 · Daily Maverick, coalitions, 7 October 2026
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief