IEC declares 2026 local elections free and fair
Ongoing: Elections Hot
The ANC won 30.76% of the national vote and the DA 24.64%, the Electoral Commission said at final results in Midrand on Sunday. Turnout was 52%, up 6.1 percentage points from 2021, and 127 of 213 councils are hung.
The MK Party took 9.76% of the vote, the EFF 6.22% and ActionSA 5.67%. A party won an outright majority in 72 councils. The ANC controls 53 municipalities outright and the DA controls 12.
IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said about 14.9 million people voted, out of 29.2 million registered. He said the elections took place largely in a peaceful environment. The IEC cited a Human Sciences Research Council survey in which 90% of people regarded the procedures as free and 91% as fair. The survey also flagged concerns about intimidation, impartiality, inclusive voting and information gaps.
The count in Douglas, Northern Cape, is missing. Moepya said activists from a party destroyed the ballots before they could be counted. He said a revote would follow and be done with speed.
President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke at the close of the elections. He said South Africa should be proud of free and fair elections while democracy is under threat elsewhere. He urged parties to form coalitions in hung councils with humility and to put communities first.
Key facts
- Who
- Cyril Ramaphosa (President of South Africa); Mosotho Moepya (Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa); Sy Mamabolo (IEC chief electoral officer); Velenkosini Hlabisa (Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs)
- What
- At the close of the 2026 local government elections, with all but one count declared, Ramaphosa praised the democracy, urged councillors to deliver services, and said coalitions should be formed with humility. The IEC said the Douglas, Northern Cape result was missing after activists destroyed the ballots and a revote would follow.
- When
- 8 November 2026
- Where
- Midrand, Johannesburg, Douglas
- Status
- Reported