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IEC approves 2.6 million special votes for local elections

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The Electoral Commission (IEC) said at a briefing in Midrand that special voting takes place on Monday and Tuesday, ahead of main voting day on Wednesday 4 November. The IEC has deployed 127,000 officials for the two days.

Of the approved voters, 678,000 will vote at home through visits by IEC officials. KwaZulu-Natal has 143,000 approved home visits, the most of any province. Women make up 74% of home visit voters and men 26%.

IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo urged voters approved for home visits to stay at their registered addresses. He said: "The officials will not return to the same address if they don’t find the voter when they visit for the first time,"

The IEC is finalising distribution of about 28 million reprinted ballot papers. Mamabolo said printing is complete. Voting stations will open from 8am to 5pm on both days, and 29,230,808 voters are registered for the elections.

Key facts

Who
Sy Mamabolo (CEO of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)); Independent Electoral Commission (electoral body running the 2026 local government elections); Electoral Commission (election management body (IEC))
What
IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo announced the commission's state of readiness at a media briefing in Midrand, saying 2.6 million voters were approved for special votes through home visits and voting-station special votes. The IEC also deployed 127,000 officials and is finalising distribution of about 28 million reprinted ballot papers.
When
1 November 2026
Where
Midrand, KwaZulu-Natal, Johannesburg
Status
Reported

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