KwaZulu-Natal turnout of 48.7% beats national average in elections
Ongoing: Elections Hot
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said the national average turnout in the 2026 local government elections was 45.8%. KwaZulu-Natal did not reach the 50% the province had hoped for, and the IEC had captured only 18% of results by 8:00am on Thursday.
Ntombfuthi Masinga, the IEC provincial electoral officer for KwaZulu-Natal, thanked voters in the province. She said the IEC had hoped turnout would pass 50%, but it was still waiting on results. She said the work was not done.
By 8:00am on Thursday the IEC had audited 12% of results. Masinga said results do not appear on the IEC dashboard until an independent firm of auditors has audited them.
Parties have until 5:00pm on Friday to lodge Section 65 objections. The IEC said results must be published in the Government Gazette seven days after voting. Elections of municipal council representatives to district councils must follow within 14 days of publication.
Key facts
- Who
- Ntombfuthi Masinga (Provincial electoral officer, KwaZulu-Natal, IEC); Electoral Commission of South Africa (Election management body)
- What
- The IEC says KwaZulu-Natal's turnout of 48.7% beat the national average of 45.8%, though the province did not reach the 50% it had hoped for. As at 08:00 on Thursday the IEC had captured 18% of results and audited 12%; parties have until 17:00 on Friday to lodge Section 65 objections.
- When
- 5 November 2026
- Where
- KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Status
- Reported