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NewsbriefSouth Africa, briefly.
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More than 40% of registered voters cast ballots in municipal elections

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

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

About 12 million people had voted by 5pm on Wednesday, up from 3.5 million at 10am, according to preliminary figures from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The commission has up to seven days to declare final results.

The preliminary figures showed about 3 million votes in Gauteng, 2.5 million in KwaZulu-Natal and 1.5 million in the Western Cape. The elections will decide the makeup of 257 municipal councils.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo explained how counting works. He said each voting station counts its own ballots, with party agents, independent candidate agents and accredited observers present.

Opinion polls indicate that the ANC will lose ground to the DA and the MK Party. Most parties had estimated that turnout would be higher in suburbs than in townships.

Key facts

Who
Sy Mamabolo (IEC chief electoral officer); Electoral Commission of South Africa (election management body, declares final results); Cyril Ramaphosa (president, ANC leader); Jacob Zuma (former president, uMkhonto weSizwe Party)
What
Preliminary Electoral Commission of South Africa figures showed about 12 million people had voted by 5pm in the municipal elections, up from 3.5 million at 10am. The commission has up to seven days to declare final results.
When
4 November 2026
Where
South Africa, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal
Status
Reported

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