PRETORIA, Friday 7 August 2026 — Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa formally proclaimed 4 November as the date for South Africa’s 2026 local government elections.
The proclamation was published in the Government Gazette in terms of the Municipal Structures Act and formally triggered the election timetable. It also closed the voters’ roll for the election.
The proclamation followed the final registration weekend on 1 and 2 August, during which about 1.7 million people interacted with the Electoral Commission’s registration system. Of those, 291,806 were first-time registrations.
The IEC will now move through candidate nominations, certification of the voters’ roll and other statutory deadlines ahead of election day.
