Hlabisa gazettes date for local government elections
Updated Aug. 7, 2026, 1:24 p.m. | By Jacaranda FM Newswatch South Africa’s 2026 municipal elections will take place on 4 November after Minister Velenkosini…
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Updated Aug. 7, 2026, 1:24 p.m. | By Jacaranda FM Newswatch
South Africa’s 2026 municipal elections will take place on 4 November after Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa gazetted the date, with more than 29 million voters now registered.
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, has gazetted the date of the municipal elections.
The local polls are scheduled to take place on 4 November.
Gazetting the election date means the IEC will close the voters’ roll, and registration for the election will stop as the election draws closer.
Eligible South Africans have until midnight on Friday to update their details on the Electoral Commission’s website.
Following the gazetting of the election date and the closure of the voters' roll, the IEC will provide updates on processes throughout the election period.
Speaking ahead of the gazetting of the date, Hlabisa said the strong turnout during the recent voter registration weekend was encouraging and reflected South Africans’ commitment to democracy.
"The strong turnout during the recent voter registration weekend was encouraging and demonstrated South Africa's commitment to democracy."
According to the IEC, 2.1 million new voters have been added to the voters' roll since the 2024 elections, bringing the total number of registered voters to more than 29 million.
The commission briefed the media on Monday following last weekend’s second and final voter registration drive, which saw more than 291,000 first-time voters register.
KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of registrations, followed by Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
Women remain the majority of registered voters, accounting for 56% of the voters' roll. Of the 291,000 new registrations, 50% were women.
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