As South Africa’s preparations for the general elections of municipal councils are advancing methodically and nearing key implementation milestones, we must first and foremost remind all South Africans eligible to vote, to register where they ordinarily reside. Once the election date has been announced, they must vote where they are registered.

The Electoral Commission hereby announces voter registration weekend on 20-21 June 2026 to maximize registration opportunities closer to where voters reside. The intended outcome of the registration weekend is to facilitate access to franchise and broaden electoral participation. The timing of this registration weekend aligns with the current planning assumption, namely, that the Commission must stand ready to administer elections whenever, they are lawfully called.  This alignment ensures procedural certainty, operational readiness and full compliance with the legal framework.

Following the completion of the process of voter registration, we anticipate the proclamation of the election date by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Once the election date is proclaimed, eligible voters will have until midnight on that same day to register to vote.

The proclamation of the election date will formally trigger the performance of activities that underpin the election timetable. These will include:

• The certification and publication of the voters’ roll
• Inspection of the voters’ roll and the lodging of objections
• Consideration and adjudication of objections by the Commission
• Submission of candidate nominations and the applicable cut-off deadlines

The Commission’s position is that an early announcement of an election date is critical to allow South Africans to decide where they will be on voting day, as this directly determines where they register.

For instance, a student studying in one province but ordinarily residing in another, must know whether they will be on campus or at home when the country votes. That clarity ensures they register correctly and avoids unnecessary administrative complications closer to election day.

In a local government election, there is no legal facility to vote outside of the voting station of registration. This is a necessary requirement as it ensures that voters vote in a ward election that has a relationship with their place of ordinary residence. In other words, voters vote for ward councillors to represent the communities in which they live.

Ward Delimitation Process

Several important election precursor milestones have commenced and some have already been achieved. Chief among them is the ward delimitation process.

In December 2025, the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) finalised and handed over to the Commission a total of 4,305 wards. These wards represent 95% of all wards nationally. The wards that are yet to be finalised and handed over are in four municipalities in the KwaZulu-Natal province.

The affected municipalities, according to the MDB, are:

• eThekwini Municipality 
• Mkhambathini Municipality
• Inkosi Langalibalele Municipality
• Alfred Duma Municipality

At the point of the December 2025 handover, there were two pending court matters between the MDB and some of the municipalities. The MDB confirms that court proceedings have concluded, and the ward delimitation exercise has commenced. Ward boundaries set the geography for political representation at the lowest level, while voting districts (VDs) are electoral administrative units. Citizens register where they live, and these registrations are organised into the voters’ roll segments per voting district. 

Once the Minister of COGTA determines the number of councillors for each municipality, the MDB uses the registered voters across voting districts to delimit wards and, where necessary, subdivide voting districts to maintain balanced voter population between wards.

Ongoing voter registration, voter address updates, and outreach to voters affected by boundary changes ensure an accurate voters’ roll, an essential requirement for logistical planning and for ensuring that only eligible voters cast ballots in the correct ward, thereby supporting free and fair elections .As matters stand, the latest ward adjustments resulted in the subdivision of 1,865 voting districts (VDs), representing 8% of the total number of VDs nationally.

The provinces with the highest proportion of voting districts subdivided by the new ward boundaries are KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, which together account for approximately 45%, followed by Mpumalanga and Northwest at 26% of all affected voting districts.

The table below illustrates the impact of wards on the network of voting districts per province:

The combined effect of ward delimitation and population movement makes it necessary for the IEC to revise voting district (VD) boundaries and the voting station network ahead of each election. This revision often results in the disestablishment of some VDs and the creation of new ones to ensure that these administrative entities remain accessible and aligned with updated ward boundaries. After internal updates to voter records, fieldworkers will conduct door-to-door Targeted Communication and Registration (TCR) outreach to assist the voters affected by these changes

Alongside TCR, the Commission encourages all voters, to regularly check their registration details and if necessary to update their voter details using the online registration platform or at a voting station during the general voter registration weekend.

Online registration

The Electoral Commission continues to observe a steady increase in the number of South Africans utilising the online self-registration platform.

More citizens are also taking advantage of outreach initiatives to register and update their details, reflecting a growing confidence in both our digital and in-person registration channels.

New registrations

The nationwide Online Voter Registration Campaign is starting to bear fruit.  Between November 2025 and March 2026, a total of 260 205 new registrations were recorded. Of these, 128 113 voters registered through our Voter Management Devices (VMDs), while 132 092 registered via the online self-service portal.

The steady increase in registrations can also be attributed to the Online Registration Campaign, which encouraged citizens to register, update and verify their details remotely. This campaign ran throughout the month of February 2026 and demonstrated that South Africans are heeding the call to register early and proactively participate in the democratic process.

The current registration activity is a crucial reversal of the net loss on the voters’ roll due to mortality. Ordinarily, voter registration numbers decline in the period between two elections. The gains in the numbers reflect the Commission’s concerted efforts to encourage voter registration and to increase voter registration opportunities.

Registration figures for the period between November 2025 to date.

Voter Education and Outreach

The Electoral Commission’s nationwide voter education drive runs throughout the year regardless of whether it is an election year or not.

However, ahead of an election civic and democracy education is scaled up. As at the end of February 2026, five hundred and thirty (530) Municipal Outreach Coordinators (MOCs) were appointed to further strengthen civic education at grassroots level in all municipalities. The reality is that some communities still prefer in-contact engagement for purposes of civic and democracy education.

The MOCs serve as the Commission’s frontline community interface, coordinating and facilitating voter education sessions, mobilising communities to participate in electoral democracy.

The Electoral Commission’s nationwide voter education drive continues to gain momentum. As we reported in our media briefing last November, since the commencement of the current financial year we had reached more than 2.6 million people through over 18 000 community events held across all nine provinces.

Since that briefing, the Commission has expanded its footprint significantly - reaching an additional 830 223 people through 12 228 community engagements conducted between November 2025 and January 2026.

This brings the cumulative reach of the voter education programme to over 3.43 million people nationally.

These engagements remain strategically focused on encouraging and preparing first-time voters, promoting active participation, and fostering responsible citizenship among young South Africans ahead of future elections.

Contact Centre

The Commission has scaled up its Contact Centre to better assist persons requiring information on electoral processes, voter registration and related enquiries.

From January this year to date, the Contact Centre has delivered results across all customer touchpoints, with significant growth in volumes matched by consistently high service standards. A total of 27,000 interactions were handled across all channels, reflecting a marked increase in voter engagement.

This upward trend was driven by a 47% increase in voice interactions, a 159% surge in live chat engagements, a 49% rise in email correspondence, and a 103% increase in Facebook and Instagram platforms.

Staff Recruitment and Training

The Commission has approved the Recruitment and Selection Criteria which informs the currently unfolding recruitment of registration staff. These criteria were discussed in the National Political Liaison Committee (NPLC). Some of the key elements of the criteria are as follows:

• Must be an SA citizen
• Must be a registered voter
• The Registration Supervisor must have at least eight years professional, supervisory or administrative work experience -
• The Registration Officer must be technologically knowledgeable and experienced or have an IT technical background
• In the last five years must not have held political office or been a candidate in an election or have been politically active for a political party or campaigning for a political party
• In the last five years must not have been elected to office in an organisation that has party political affiliations or aims
• Must not have been convicted of serious criminal offence(s)

Based on these criteria, and in the interest of transparency and fairness, the Commission has advertised positions for registration staff to allow any qualifying person to apply for any position.

As part of ensuring integrity in the appointed electoral staff, members of the Municipal Political Liaison Committees (MPLC’s) will be presented with the lists of designated presiding and deputy presiding officers so that they may evaluate same for compliance with the agreed recruitment and selection criteria. Members of municipal political liaison committees may object to the appointment of any designated individual officer who transgresses the criteria.

The Electoral Commission is currently conducting an intensive Training-of-Trainers (ToT) programme aimed at strengthening operational excellence at registration stations. Master trainers will, in turn, capacitate registration staff across the country to operate effectively in high-pressure environments, manage queues efficiently, and uphold the highest standards of professional conduct and electoral etiquette.

Trainers are being prepared to cascade consistent, standardised messaging and operational protocols nationwide, ensuring uniformity in service delivery in all registration stations.

Training of Journalists

The Electoral Commission acknowledges and appreciates the vital role played by the media in electoral democracy and in the dissemination of credible information. The free flow of credible information about political parties, candidates, voting station operations and electoral regulations is a prerequisite for free and fair elections.

The Electoral Commission, working in partnership with the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) and various community media stakeholders, has embarked on a month-long nationwide training programme for journalists ahead of the forthcoming elections.

The purpose of the programme is to equip journalists with a comprehensive understanding of the legislative framework, electoral processes and regulatory environment, thereby strengthening the possibility for accurate, ethical and informed reporting throughout the election period.

Registration of Political Parties

Currently, the total number of registered political parties is five hundred and eight (508). Twenty (20) new parties were registered in the period between October 2025 and February 2026.

Of these, two hundred ninety-nine (299) are registered on a national level, while the balance of two hundred and nine (209) are either registered on a provincial, district or metropolitan municipality level.

Parties are advised to ensure that they update their contact details.  This is to ensure that the records of the Commission are current and thus able to facilitate communication where this may be necessary.

Country-wide information workshops for registered political parties and aspirant independent candidates.

The Electoral Commission has concluded a nationwide series of information workshops aimed at preparing all contestants (registered and unregistered political parties as well as aspirant independent candidates) to facilitate informed and meaningful participation in the upcoming Local Government Elections. These workshops were conducted across all 9       provinces between 17 November and 10 December 2025.

The topics covered were, among others, the road map to the 2026/7 Local Government Elections, requirements for the registration of political parties, candidate nomination requirements (both independent and party candidates), seat calculation and political funding matters.

The next iteration of information sessions is planned for May and June 2026. 

Conduct of by-elections

As stated earlier, the work of the Electoral Commission is continuous. In the quarter since we had our last media briefing, a total of 25 by-elections were conducted. These by-elections took place between November 2025 and February 2026.

The Electoral Commission successfully delivered these by-elections demonstrating continued readiness and operational efficiency ahead of the 2026/7 LGE.

Proportional Representation (PR) Councillor Replacements

In line with its mandate, the Commission continues to replace PR councillors where vacancies have occurred.  This is to ensure continued representation and legitimate functioning of municipal councils. To this end, one hundred and five (105) councillor replacements were effected since we last interacted. This brings the total replacements for the year to three hundred and two (302).

Cessation of By-Elections

In general, the law requires that a by-election be held within 90 days of the occurrence of a vacancy. However, the law further recognises that holding by-elections too close to the next nationwide local government election could confuse voters and candidates, particularly where ward boundaries and voting districts may have changed.

For this reason, section 25(6) of the Municipal Structures Act 1998 provides that the provincial MEC for local government may not call a by-election if the next election of municipal councils must take place within nine months of the vacancy. This situation also arises when the MEC, acting in consultation with the national minister, decides that the by-election should stand over until the general municipal elections.

Using the latest possible election date (30 January 2027), the cut-off date for calling a by-election is 30 April 2026.

This cut-off relates to when a vacancy occurs, not when the by-election is held, meaning some by-elections may still take place after 30 April 2026. The rule does not apply to PR councillors, whose vacancies may still be filled during this period.

Multi-Party Democracy Fund

The Commission continues to appeal to individuals and corporate South Africa to seriously consider and make contributions to the Fund to support and enhance a vibrant multiparty democracy. For the second quarter in a row, the Multi-Party Democracy Fund has not received any contributions from individuals and corporations.

This absence of contributions to the Fund does not necessarily indicate a structural flaw in the Fund, but rather, a likely combination of factors such as donor preference for direct donations, current economic conditions, fiscal constraints as well as electoral timing dynamics.

Political Funding Transparency

The Electoral Commission welcomes the international recognition for Advancing Political Funding Transparency. The 2025 report by Transparency International titled Digital Disclosure of Political Finance in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean identified South Africa as the most advanced country in Africa in digital political finance disclosure.

The report notes that out of 51 African countries assessed, South Africa is one of only two countries, along Morocco, that publish political finance information online. The report recognises that South Africa’s system is significantly more advanced.

The report also places South Africa among a small group of countries globally where political finance data is accessible and downloadable, reflecting a high level of transparency.

Fake Voter Registration Website

The growth of Artificial Intelligence has had the unintended consequence of causing the increase in the use of digital platforms for fraudulent purposes and the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

The Commission is aware of fake websites impersonating its domain. The sites are intended to lure unsuspecting members of the public to share their personal information. The IEC does not use the domain such as (examtapzme.github.io). Members of the public are advised not to click on links and urged not to share their personal information (ID number, phone number, address, etc.) on these websites.

The only official online voter registration portal is: RegisterToVote.org.za or www.elections.org.za

Be aware of false advertising

The Electoral Commission has also become aware of a false recruitment notice circulating on social media and messaging platforms. We can confirm that this notice is fraudulent and does not originate from the Commission.

Members of the public are advised that:

• The Electoral Commission does not use shortened or rebranded links for official recruitment.
• All legitimate vacancies are published exclusively on the Commission’s official website: www.elections.org.za.
• The Commission does not request payment at any stage of its recruitment processes.

For verified information, please visit www.elections.org.za or contact the Commission through its official communication channels.

Conclusion

The IEC’s self-service online voter registration portal is available 24/7. If you are eligible to vote, take the first and most important step - register and ensure your details are up to date on the voters’ roll. Visit registertovote.elections.org.za, today. 

ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Ensuring free, fair and credible elections 

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