SOUTH AFRICA — The Electoral Commission (IEC) has achieved a 91% national results completion rate for the 2026 Local Government Elections, marking significant progress in finalizing the 2026 Local Government Elections outcomes across the country as of 5 p.m. on Friday.
The Electoral Commission reported that it expects to receive a total of 66,073 result slips from 23,696 voting stations nationwide. To date, results have been fully finalized in 150 of the 213 municipalities, a figure that excludes the 44 District Councils. Notably, all municipalities within the Northern Cape have recorded complete results.
According to the Commission, the completion rates vary across the provinces, reflecting the logistical complexities of the national count. The provincial breakdown is as follows:
– Northern Cape: 100%
– Free State: 98%
– Eastern Cape: 95%
– Mpumalanga: 95%
– Western Cape: 92%
– KwaZulu-Natal: 92%
– North West: 87%
– Limpopo: 86%
– Gauteng: 75%
IEC officials explained that the remaining uncounted results are predominantly concentrated in metropolitan municipal areas. These regions feature higher population densities, which necessitate a larger number of voting districts. Furthermore, the Commission noted that high participation by political contestants has resulted in longer ballots and, consequently, more extensive result slips, contributing to the processing time.
The Electoral Commission emphasized that all current results remain provisional until all formal objections and verification processes are fully concluded. The Commission urged political parties, independent candidates, the media, and the general public to rely exclusively on officially verified results published through its formal channels.
In a separate statement addressing electoral integrity, the Commission firmly dismissed circulating social media claims alleging that results for Wards 4 and 23 in the Emalahleni Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, were being withheld due to ballots cast exceeding the number of registered voters.
“This claim is false because the official voter turnout in the cited wards is just over 50%, well below the registered voter population,” the Commission stated.
The Electoral Commission also addressed a secondary claim from the same source, which alleged that a municipal official had voted four times. Officials clarified that this report was misleading. The voter in question had initially gone to the wrong voting district within her ward, was scanned at that location, and was subsequently redirected to her correct voting district.
“Voting more than once is not possible in the 2026 Local Government Elections because a voter may only cast a ballot in the voting district in which they are registered,” the Commission confirmed.
Concluding its public address, the Commission called upon citizens to critically verify social media claims before sharing them. Officials warned that the dissemination of false information can constitute a breach of the Electoral Code of Conduct and the associated Disinformation Code. The Electoral Commission reiterated its steadfast commitment to finalizing the results as swiftly as possible while strictly safeguarding the accuracy, transparency, and overall integrity of the electoral process.
