ELECTION NEWS - South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections will feature a record 136 790 candidates after the Electoral Commission (IEC) confirmed that they have met the statutory requirements to contest the polls on 4 November.
The candidates will contest seats across the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities.
The figure represents a substantial increase from the 95 427 candidates certified for the 2021 municipal elections, despite the number of available council seats increasing only slightly, from 10 478 in 2021 to 10 526 this year.
More than 98 000 ward candidates
IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo announced the figures during a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Of the 136 790 candidates, 98 219 were nominated by political parties to contest ward seats, while 38 571 were nominated by parties for the proportional representation (PR) elections.
A further 621 candidates are independent candidates contesting ward seats.
The nomination process closed at 17:00 on 28 August, with candidates able to submit their documentation either at IEC offices or through the Commission’s Online Candidate Nomination Portal.
The online system accounted for 84% of nominations, while the remaining 16% were submitted manually.
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IEC completes candidate verification
Following the close of nominations, the IEC conducted statutory reviews to ensure that candidates met the requirements to contest the elections.
On 4 September, the Commission contacted 221 parties and independent candidates regarding additional information required for 1 280 nominations. These candidates were given until 7 September to submit identification documents and completed acceptance-of-nomination forms.
The IEC subsequently issued notices concerning another 550 candidates who had either been nominated as independents and by a political party, or had been nominated by more than one party.
Following the review process, 5 096 candidates were disqualified, including candidates who did not meet requirements relating to deposits or valid nominations.
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Final candidate lists to be published
The IEC is publishing the final list of candidates and political parties contesting the 4 November elections.
The election date was formally gazetted in August, while 4 November has also been declared a public holiday to allow registered voters to participate in the elections.
The 2026 Local Government Elections will determine representation across South Africa’s municipal councils, with voters heading to the polls on Wednesday, 4 November. – SAnews.gov.za
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