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IEC declares 2026 local elections free and fair

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Ongoing: Elections Hot

Empty school hall with plain wooden voting booths arranged in rows under high windows.

The ANC finished first in the local government elections but its share of the vote fell sharply from 2021. Electoral Commission chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced the final results in Midrand on Sunday, with turnout at 52%.

Moepya said the elections were largely peaceful. He said the Commission was satisfied with their integrity, citing the Elections Satisfaction Survey 2026. President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the results ceremony.

Reports put the ANC share at 30.76% and 30.89%, down from 45.59% in 2021. The DA came second with 24.60%, the MK Party third with 9.61%, the EFF fourth with 6.25% and ActionSA fifth with 5.68%.

Moepya said a new vote will be arranged in Douglas in the Northern Cape. He said results from a voting station there are withheld after activists allegedly stormed it and destroyed ballot papers.

About 15 million of the 29.2 million registered voters cast ballots. Turnout rose 6.1 percentage points from 45.9% in 2021. One report said more than a hundred municipalities face hung councils.

Key facts

Who
Mosotho Moepya (IEC Chairperson); Electoral Commission of South Africa (election management body that declared the elections free and fair); African National Congress (largest party in the 2026 local government elections); Democratic Alliance (retained second place in the elections)
What
IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced on Sunday evening that the 2026 local government elections were free and fair, releasing final results. The ANC retained its position as the largest party with 30.76% of the vote and 3 246 council seats, and the DA retained second place.
When
8 November 2026
Where
South Africa, Midrand, Douglas
Status
Reported

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