Voting proceeded smoothly across most of South Africa on Wednesday, with 3.5 million ballots already cast by 10am in the 2026 local government elections, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said. The IEC reported that 98% of the country's 23,696 voting stations opened on time. However, a few stations opened late due to localised protests and heavy rains in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The IEC introduced handheld barcode scanners linked to voter management devices as an efficiency measure. Both devices, along with sequence numbers on the voters' roll, help make voter verification easier and cut down the time each voter spends voting. According to IEC Deputy CEO Masego Shiburi, this measure has contributed to the smooth processing and verification of voters.
A few voting stations only opened by 9am due to localised protests and access challenges caused by heavy rains in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Despite these challenges, voters showed enthusiasm and eagerness, with encouraging scenes of voters arriving in the early hours of the morning. Shiburi attributed the success to the Voter Management Devices, which helped stations process and verify voters smoothly.
In terms of the provincial breakdown of certified voters on the voters' roll who had cast their ballots by 10am, Gauteng recorded the highest number at 895,384, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 623,380. The Western Cape and Eastern Cape recorded 461,264 and 431,123 ballots, respectively. Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State, and Northern Cape also reported significant numbers.
Shiburi said the Commission is encouraged by the enthusiasm and eagerness voters demonstrated across all nine provinces. He encouraged all remaining registered voters to use the remaining voting hours to cast their ballots and exercise their democratic right to participate in the 2026 Local Government Elections.
Voters were reminded that unlike the National and Provincial Elections, the number of ballot papers issued in the Local Government Elections depends on the type of municipality. Voters in local municipalities will receive three ballot papers, while those in metropolitan municipalities will receive two ballot papers.
On behalf of the Commission, Shiburi expressed gratitude to the Department of Home Affairs for opening its offices for ID collections and applications. He also thanked state agencies and security structures working through NATJOINTS for helping keep the elections safe and secure.
Key points
- 3.5 million ballots were cast by 10am in the 2026 local government elections.
- The IEC introduced handheld barcode scanners linked to voter management devices to improve efficiency.
- Voting proceeded smoothly across most of South Africa, with 98% of voting stations opening on time.
