Voting in the 2026 local government elections got underway across South Africa on Wednesday, with over 3.5 million citizens casting their ballots by 10am. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported that 98% of the country's 23,996 voting stations had opened by the regulated time of 7am. The voting process is expected to close at 9pm.
According to IEC deputy chief electoral officer Masego Sheburi, a few voting stations experienced delays due to localized protests and access challenges caused by inclement weather. These incidents were reported in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga provinces. However, Sheburi confirmed that all stations were operating by 9am.
The IEC introduced additional measures to improve the efficiency of the voting process and manage queues. One such measure is the use of hand-held barcode scanners attached to voter management devices. These scanners have assisted in increasing the speed at which voters are processed, thereby managing queues at voting stations.
Preliminary figures from the IEC indicate that by 10am, 3.5 million people had voted. Gauteng recorded the highest number of voters, with 895,000, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 623,000, and the Western Cape with 461,000. The provincial breakdown also shows that Eastern Cape had 431,000 voters, Limpopo had 366,000, Mpumalanga had 252,000, North West had 204,000, Free State had 195,000, and Northern Cape had 93,000.
Sheburi commended voters who made their way to voting stations early, saying this helped avoid the afternoon rush. He urged registered voters who had not yet cast their ballots to use the remaining hours before voting stations close at 9pm. The IEC is encouraging voters to exercise their democratic right and influence affairs in their localities and municipalities.
Voters in different municipalities will receive varying numbers of ballot papers. In category B municipalities, which make up the majority, voters will receive three ballot papers: a grey ballot to elect a ward councillor, a green ballot to vote for a political party on the proportional representation list, and a yellow ballot to elect a political party representative to represent the area at the district municipality.
Sheburi reminded voters to mark their ballots correctly to avoid having them declared spoilt. He cautioned that voters should make an X mark when voting on the designated box against a candidate or party of their choice, and avoid making additional marks. Voting stations will remain open until 9pm, after which the counting process will begin.
Key points
- Over 3.5 million South Africans voted by 10am on Wednesday in the 2026 local government elections.
- The IEC reported that 98% of the country's 23,996 voting stations had opened by the regulated time of 7am.
- Voters in category B municipalities will receive three ballot papers to elect a ward councillor, a political party on the proportional representation list, and a political party representative to represent the area at the district municipality.
