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Researcher says local government is mixed before 4 November vote

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Ongoing: Elections Hot

Empty school hall with plain voting booths arranged in rows on a wooden floor.

Thembelani Mazibuko, a researcher at ACCORD, says some neighbourhoods get efficient municipal services while poorer township communities often do not. He expects more hung councils after the 2026 Local Government Elections, especially in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Mazibuko works in the coalitions programme at the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD). He also expects hung councils in parts of Mpumalanga, the Free State, the Northern Cape and the southern Eastern Cape.

Turnout in the 2021 Local Government Elections was 45.86%. Mazibuko says turnout has continued to decline. He said same-day voter registration is one reform the National Assembly could consider in future. He warned that online voting carries a risk of hacking and should be avoided.

Mazibuko said bad actors find WhatsApp, X and Facebook easier to infiltrate to spread false information. He said: "This is an issue the IEC is seized with".

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs proposes the Municipal Structures Amendment Bill, 2026, known as the Coalition Bill. Mazibuko said the bill is at an early stage and needs more work.

Key facts

Who
Thembelani Mazibuko (researcher in the coalitions programme at ACCORD); Neo Semono (author, SAnews.gov.za); African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (civil society organisation (ACCORD)); Electoral Commission (election management body (IEC))
What
In an SAnews interview ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections, ACCORD researcher Thembelani Mazibuko discusses municipal service delivery, the role of ward councillors, voter turnout, youth participation, expected hung councils and coalitions, and disinformation. The article also describes the proposed Municipal Structures Amendment Bill, 2026 (Coalition Bill).
When
3 November 2026
Where
South Africa
Status
Reported

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