The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has reported a smooth start to the 2026 Local Government Elections, with 98% of the country’s 23 696 voting stations opened by 7 am on Wednesday.
Giving an update on voting proceedings at a media briefing in the afternoon, IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Masego Sheburi, said voting is proceeding well across the country, with millions of registered voters already having cast their ballots.
As at 10am, preliminary figures indicated that 3 523 691 voters had cast their votes across the nine provinces, with Gauteng recording the highest number of votes cast, at 895 384, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, with 623 380, the Western Cape, with 461 264, and the Eastern Cape, with 431 123.
Limpopo recorded 366 378 votes, Mpumalanga 252 859, North West 204 736, Free State 195 537, and Northern Cape 93 030.
Sheburi said the Commission is encouraged by the enthusiasm demonstrated by voters, particularly those who arrived at voting stations in the early hours of the morning.
“The Commission urges all the remaining registered voters to use the remaining hours of voting to cast their ballots and exercise their democratic right to participate in the 2026 Local Government Elections,” Sheburi said at the Results Operations Centre (ROC) at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.
Sheburi also noted additional measures introduced by IEC the to improve efficiency, including, including handheld barcode scanners attached to Voter Management Devices (VMDs) and sequence numbers on the voters’ roll to speed up voter verification and reduce the time spent at voting stations.
“The Voter Management Devices are functioning optimally, supporting the smooth processing and verification of voters at voting stations,” Sheburi said.
However, the Commission reported that a few voting stations opened by 9 am due to localised protests and access challenges caused by heavy rain in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
“All ballot papers have since been delivered to voting stations across the country, with only a few deliveries completed shortly after voting commenced.”
Voter information
The Commission has reminded voters that the number of ballot papers they receive depends on the type of municipality in which they are registered.
Unlike the National and Provincial Elections, Sheburi explained that 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: a grey ballot to elect a ward councillor, a green ballot to vote for a political party in the local council, and a yellow ballot to elect political party representatives to the district council.
“Voters in metropolitan municipalities will receive two ballot papers: a grey ballot for their 3 ward councillors and a green ballot for their preferred political party in the metropolitan council,” Sheburi said.
He also reminded voters to make one clear cross in the designated box next to their preferred candidate or political party on each ballot paper.
“Only one candidate or political party may be selected per ballot. Marking more than one choice, or making additional marks may result in the ballot being declared spoilt.”
Ballot papers stolen in KZN
The Commission received a report of the theft of unused ballot papers and a stamp in one voting station in Ward 2 in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.
“There are 20 voting stations in that ward. We have put measures to ensure that should those ballots surface at any of those voting stations, we will be able to identify, because it is a requirement that a ballot must be validated by a stamp at the back.
“A case has been opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS), and our staff has been relieved of their duty for their dereliction at that voting station,” Sheburi said.
The Commission also acknowledged the Department of Home Affairs for making its offices available to members of the public to collect identity documents and apply for IDs, as well as agencies and security structures operating through the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) for their continued efforts to maintain a safe and secure electoral environment. - SAnews.gov.za
