The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has officially declared the 2026 municipal election free and fair on Sunday evening. The ANC received the largest share of votes, with 30.89% and 3 164 council seats. The DA came second with 24.60% and 1 527 seats, followed by the uMkhonto weSizwe party (MK party) with 9.61% and 701 seats. The EFF secured 6.25% of votes and 505 seats, while ActionSA obtained 5.68% and 219 seats. Other political parties and independent candidates collectively received 22.97% of votes.
Mosotho Moepya, IEC chairperson, said during the announcement of the final results that approximately 14.9 million of the country's 29.2 million registered voters cast their votes. The national voter turnout was 52%, compared with 45.9% during the 2021 municipal election. This represents an increase of 6.1 percentage points. Moepya said the election proceeded largely in a peaceful environment and that results from all 213 municipal councils have been processed and declared. According to Moepya, 521 political parties and 636 independent candidates participated in the election. They collectively fielded approximately 137 000 candidates for the election. A total of 10 526 council seats were contested.
Regarding municipal control, the ANC achieved an outright majority in 51 municipalities and is the largest party in 120 municipalities. The DA achieved an outright majority in 12 municipalities and is the largest party in 29. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) gained control of five municipalities and is the largest party in 19, while the MK party achieved an outright majority in three municipalities and is the largest party in 18. Rise Tsantsabane Communities achieved an outright majority in one municipality. The IEC indicated that 72 municipal councils have a party with an outright majority. The percentage of spoilt ballots was 1.84%.
The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) 2026 election satisfaction survey, conducted on behalf of the IEC, found that 90% of surveyed voters regarded the election procedures as free and 91% described them as fair. A total of 95% were satisfied with the service of IEC officials, while 91% indicated they had not waited longer than 30 minutes in queues. Confidence in the IEC was recorded at 81%, although this is lower than the 93% recorded in 2016. The survey also identified challenges such as intimidation, impartiality, inclusive voting rights and information gaps that require further attention.
The election was not without incident, however. The IEC ordered a new vote at the polling station at Jabulani Community Centre in ward three of the Siyancuma municipality in Douglas, Northern Cape, after ballots were destroyed before they could be counted. The commission approached the Electoral Court and also registered a criminal case with the South African Police Service. Moepya further confirmed that objections lodged after the election will still be handled in accordance with applicable legislation.
Moepya emphasised that democracy does not end when a ballot is placed in the ballot box. Voters still have a responsibility to hold their elected representatives accountable and to remain involved in municipal processes.
Sources: IEC, SAnews, SABC News
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
