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NewsbriefSouth Africa, briefly.
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Local government elections will take place on 4 November

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said voting stations will open from 7am to 9pm on Election Day. Special voting takes place on 2 and 3 November, from 8am to 5pm.

Voters registered in a metropolitan municipality will get two ballot papers. Voters registered in a local municipality will get three ballot papers.

Voters can check their registration by sending their 13-digit ID number by SMS to 32810. The IEC also set out which forms of ID it accepts and how voting works.

Key facts

Who
Electoral Commission of South Africa (election management body; source of voting dates, hours and procedures)
What
An explainer sets out what voters should expect for the 4 November 2026 local government elections, including special voting dates, voting hours, acceptable ID, and how ballot papers and voting work.
When
4 November 2026
Where
South Africa
Status
Reported

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Voting in the 2026 Local Government Elections is under way at 23,696 stations, and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported a smooth start on 4 November. Stations opened at 7am and close at 9pm, and by 10am preliminary figures showed 3,523,691 voters had cast ballots.

There were problems: unused ballot papers were stolen from Mnyameni Secondary School near Durban, police opened a case, and the IEC relieved the station staff of duty. Some voters in Tshwane said they were turned away for wearing party shirts, but the IEC denied this and said only mayoral candidates' entourages were barred.

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