IEC Announces Candidate Nominations for 2026 Local Government Elections

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has announced that more than 140,000 candidates have been nominated to contest approximately 10,500 council seats in the November local government elections. A total of 546 out of 732 registered political parties will be contesting the elections. This represents a 43 percent increase in nominations compared to the 2021 elections, which saw 99,000 nominations.

Johannesburg will be contested by 80 parties, followed by Tshwane with 72, eThekwini with 70, Ekurhuleni with 69, and the City of Cape Town with 55. Of the total candidates, 40,241 were nominated for proportional representation seats, while 100,856 were nominated for ward seats. Demographic data shows that men account for nearly two thirds of all nominations, while women represent about 38 percent. The majority of candidates are aged between 36 and 55.

While center left coverage focused on the scale and demographics of the contest, center right coverage emphasized a dispute regarding the nomination process. The IEC rejected claims from the ANC that a system failure hampered the submission of candidates. IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo stated there was no evidence of a malfunction in the commission's system, though he noted that external factors like internet bandwidth or electricity could have affected users.

The IEC is currently scrutinizing nominations to ensure legal compliance and will notify parties of any discrepancies by September 9. Final lists of candidates who meet all requirements will be available on September 16. Additionally, the commission is finalizing enhancements to its results system, which is undergoing cybersecurity assessments and external testing.