Elections Hot

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.Share

The province has 5,028 voting stations. Of these, 4,988 received special vote applications. Masinga said the other 40 stations will not open for special votes.

The municipality of eThekwini has the most approved special votes, at 101,470. Newcastle has 16,307 and Msunduzi has 14,603.

Masinga said ballot boxes and a training module were stolen at Zambeni, Amahlongwa Community Hall. She also said members of the MK Party went to the Umzinto Town Hall voting station to ask about the distribution of election materials.

Masinga said a person at Umzinto Town Hall claimed to be a member of the Political Liaison Committee, but had not taken part in earlier committee meetings. She said late police escorts and a vehicle breakdown caused delays.Share

The IEC said 2.6-million people were expected to vote during special voting on Monday and Tuesday. It deployed 127,000 officials to oversee that voting.

IEC official Kgosietsile Tshoke said voters must check their voting station and bring an accepted ID. He also told voters to arrive on time and follow the Electoral Code of Conduct.

Voters can check their station details by SMS to 32810 at R1 per SMS, or by WhatsApp on 0600 88 0000. Parliament's Presiding Officers, Speaker Thoko Didiza and NCOP Chairperson Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, urged people to vote.

Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth asked employers to release workers so they can vote.Share

Morero cast his special vote in the local government elections and said he voted for the African National Congress (ANC). Over 2 million voters registered for special votes in the elections.

He said the ANC had done a lot of campaigning work in the last 18 months and that its support base remained strong. He said the last three weeks had been tough.

Asked about water and waste problems in Johannesburg, Morero said some systems in Soweto had recovered. He said this showed the interventions and work under way.Share

Price said he expects the parties and people elected to lead municipalities to put the needs of citizens first. He named an improvement in service delivery as one of those needs. He also said he and his wife were excited to cast their votes.

Price also spoke about government and the constitution. He criticised the African National Congress (ANC) while he voted. He said: "I think the ANC has disappointed us a bit, but I hope we are going to be able to do a lot better".Share

Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi spoke at the IEC Results Operations Centre in Midrand. He also responded to concerns about the position of voting booths and the privacy of voters.

Shiburi said booths should stand in an "ATM position", so the voter's body hides the ballot paper from anyone behind them. He explained the idea this way: "You obscure the keypad, in this instance the ballot paper, with your body."

Shiburi said this placement is critical to protect the right to vote in secret. He said it also stops people from inducing voters to make a mark, take a picture or hand over a ballot in exchange for something.Share

Nkaro Mateta, the IEC's Provincial Electoral Officer in Limpopo, spoke about the 12 stations. They include one at Ga-Chokoe outside Mokopane. He said voter intimidation was reported at Ga-Chokoe during the last voter registration period.

Mateta said the intimidation meant some residents did not register or apply for special votes. He said some voters were threatened during the registration weekend. For two days, he said, no one came to check details, register or re-register.

Mateta spoke about election day, which is on Wednesday. He said: "We are hopeful that perhaps on election day, which is on Wednesday, this will be the last opportunity for them to decide who will lead their areas".Share

Terry Tselane, a former IEC commissioner and vice chairperson, explained why the elections cost so much. He said the technology used is not cheap and needs a lot of resources.

Tselane said the voting machine now in use cost a lot of money. He said the fleet of machines must also be maintained.

He recalled that opening voting stations for a registration weekend a few years back cost about R360 million. He said that sum covered stations, infrastructure, electoral staff and stipends.Share

Helen Zille, the DA candidate for Johannesburg, defended her party's national coalition with the ANC. She said the alternative is the "doomsday option". Bongani Baloyi of the MK Party ruled out working with the DA or the FF Plus.

Herman Mashaba, the ActionSA candidate for Johannesburg, said he fired more than 900 people for incompetence and corruption. He said: "I’m not in this job to make friends." Willie Spies, the FF Plus candidate for Tshwane, said his party is building "a new majority".

In Ekurhuleni, ANC candidate Jongizizwe Dlabathi said the metro "is not a crime scene". He said R840 million of the R2 billion lost through under-collected electricity has been recovered. EFF candidate Nthabiseng Tshivhenga said vetting found more than 200 metro police officers with criminal records.Share

Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo told a media briefing on Monday evening that all logistical difficulties were resolved during the day. He described the count of 780,000 as conservative. The commission said 217 voting stations in the City of Cape Town had delays.

The commission expects 2.6 million voters to cast special votes on Monday and Tuesday. Mamabolo said Tuesday would be much improved and Wednesday would be better still. He also offered an apology to affected voters.

Ballot papers were late after about 28 million had to be reprinted in 107 municipalities. The reprint followed a Constitutional Court ruling of 15 October that ordered 181 ANC candidates reinstated, with 32 other parties given the same relief. About 29 million South Africans are registered to vote in the municipal polls.

Democratic Alliance (DA) voters have written to the commission to complain about the delays, reports said. DA federal council chair Ashor Sarupen said the commission should convene an urgent meeting of the party liaison committee on the failures that caused the delay.Share

Masinga said 148 voting stations are tents. In some informal settlements, no permanent building is available. She said: "there is absolutely no permanent structure we can use as a voting station".

Masinga said temporary service providers are on standby. They will put the tents up again if anything happens to them. She spoke at the briefing on Monday.Share

ActionSA's KwaZulu-Natal chairperson, Zwakele Mncwango, said the party was disturbed by two serious incidents involving its members and their families over the weekend. He said the timing, just days before the elections, is deeply concerning. He called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to investigate.

Preliminary reports said Mkhize was stabbed with a knife and strangled just outside her home. She was an activist and the party's candidate in Mnyameni, in the Maphumulo Local Municipality.

Mncwango said: "Political differences must never lead to violence or loss of life". At least 50 people have died in suspected political murders this election year.

A September report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime counted 43 suspected political assassinations since January. Police have opened 139 election-related criminal cases and arrested 48 suspects. National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola said KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of high-risk voting stations in the country.Share

The IEC said the theft was reported to the uMkomaas police station. It also reported other incidents in its KwaZulu-Natal special voting update, including police escort and vehicle delays. The commission said the delays and problems at voting stations had been attended to.

In Umzinto, MK Party members approached a voting station at Umzinto Town Hall and asked for information about how election material is distributed. The IEC said a person who claimed to be a Political Liaison Committee (PLC) member was also at the hall. It said that person had not taken part in earlier PLC meetings.

The IEC said PLC members were reminded that the storage locations of election materials are confidential and may not be disclosed to unauthorised persons.

The IEC approved 362,878 special vote applications in KwaZulu-Natal. Of these, 211,449 are for visits to voting stations and 151,429 are for home visits. The province has 5,028 voting stations, and 4,988 of them received applications. The other 40 received none and will not open for special voting.Share

The commission said in a statement that its monitors will visit voting districts in urban, peri-urban and rural communities. They will also go to informal settlements.

The commission will publish an Election Monitoring Report after the elections.Share

Mokgosi said he will cast his vote at Naledi Local Municipality Ward 3 in Vryburg. He will vote at the Kismet Park Hall Voting District at 10am on Wednesday, 4 November.

In a statement issued as Special Voting began, Mokgosi said: "The strength of our democracy lies in the participation of its people. Every vote matters, and every voice deserves to be heard."Share

Masego Shiburi, Deputy Chief Electoral Commissioner of the IEC, spoke at a media briefing at the Results Operation Centre in Midrand. She said voters were being assisted smoothly in most cases. At 10:30am, stations in 10 of 116 wards in Cape Town had opened for special votes.

Stations stay open until 5pm on Monday and Tuesday. Ordinary voting resumes on 4 November. Voters can check station details by SMS at R1 per SMS.

About 2.6 million people are registered for special voting across the country. In Diepkloof East, Soweto, elderly and disabled voters cast ballots at an IEC station inside Footprints Hospice. An 82-year-old woman there said: "My vote will bring a change."

IEC official Mamabolo said: "Notwithstanding these unfortunate incidents, the Commission is overall establishing a strong performance across the country." He expects further improvement on the second day.Share

Parliament's spokesperson Moloto Mothapo shared the statement from the two Presiding Officers. It says residents should encourage councillors and take part in municipal planning and budgeting.

The Presiding Officers also said voters should hold their representatives accountable for service delivery. Monday and Tuesday are set aside for voters who applied for special votes.Share

Special voting lets eligible voters who cannot reach their polling stations on Voting Day cast their votes early. At the Akasia station in Karenpark, 5318 people had registered for special votes. Presiding Officer Boitumelo Marx ran the station.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said the 2.65 million approved applications are a 131% increase on the 2021 Local Government Elections. IEC officials are visiting voters who cannot reach voting stations. Voters who miss Monday can vote on Tuesday.

In eThekwini, voting began despite heavy rain and a Yellow Level 4 warning from the South African Weather Service for most of KwaZulu-Natal. The weather service warned of heavy downpours and hail. It said spring weather is likely to vary across the country during the voting period.

Voter Sathiel Mathekge chose a special vote because of ill-health. He said voting was his only chance to be heard and to bring change to his community.Share

IEC deputy CEO for Electoral Operations Masego Sheburi announced the death at a media briefing in Midrand on Monday. He said: "With a sad heart, we announce the passing of a presiding officer who collapsed at a voting station and has sadly passed on in Mahikeng."

The injured deputy presiding officer was travelling in the uKhahlamba district of KwaZulu-Natal when the accident happened. The commission said she was taken to hospital.

Sheburi said the commission was recording a strong performance across the country. He said the IEC expected further improvements on the second day of special voting.

Voters can check their voting station by sending their ID number by SMS to 32810. They can also phone the IEC on 0800 11 8000.Share

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) will visit registered addresses on Monday and Tuesday. The visits let approved elderly voters and other special voters cast their ballots before the local government elections on Wednesday, 4 November.

Home Affairs offices will open for extended hours from 2 to 4 November for ID applications and collections. Home Affairs spokesperson Ndileka Cola said the offices will be open from 8 o'clock in the morning to 6 o'clock in the evening.Share