JOHANNESBURG, Thursday 5 November 2026 — The Electoral Commission (IEC) has received more than 800 complaints from political parties and election contestants following South Africa’s local government elections, with a Friday deadline set for objections that could affect the final results.
IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Sheburi said most complaints concerned the conduct of voting-station officials, including allegations that political party agents were prevented from observing voting and counting procedures.
The commission said the majority of the complaints had already been dealt with, while approximately 106 remained outstanding.
Electoral complaints under review
Sheburi explained that the complaints lodged directly with the commission were separate from objections handled by presiding officers at individual voting stations.
Political parties and other contestants may also submit objections concerning matters that could materially affect the election outcome.
The deadline for those objections is 17:00 on Friday, 6 November.
The commission must consider and resolve the relevant objections before declaring the final results.
The existence of a complaint does not establish that an electoral irregularity occurred or that the outcome of a particular voting district was affected.
Final results expected after objections process
The IEC said it could not declare the final election results before Friday’s objections deadline had passed.
Sheburi said the commission was required to declare the results within seven days of the election but intended to complete the process sooner, provided all objections had been lawfully considered.
The commission is targeting the weekend for the final declaration.
The results will determine the composition of municipal councils across South Africa and establish which political parties can govern independently or must negotiate coalition agreements.
Millions participate in municipal elections
The IEC estimated that approximately 15.9 million South Africans participated in the elections, including voters who cast special ballots earlier in the week.
The final turnout rate will be established once the counting and verification processes have been completed.
Counting continued on Thursday, with provisional results being released as voting districts were verified.
The commission’s decisions on outstanding objections, together with the remaining counting process, will determine when the final results can be formally announced.
