The Electoral Commission (IEC) announced today, 16 October, that “an unprecedented 136 790 candidates” met the statutory requirements to contest South Africa’s local government elections on 4 November this year.
The IEC also said of these candidates 98 219 are nominated by parties to represent wards and 38 571 to represent parties in the Proportional Representation (PR) election. “A total of 621 candidates are independents nominated to represent wards,” IEC’s Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, announced to the media today.
Candidates will contest seats across the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities.
Mamabolo noted that in the in the 2021 municipal elections 95 427 certified candidates were recorded . “The candidate nomination process closed on 28 August 2026 at 5pm,” he said, He added that candidates were able to submit their documents either in person at Electoral Commission offices or through the Online Candidate Nomination Portal, he said.
In related matters, the IEC has given relief to 32 political parties similarly affected by the Constitutional Court’s ruling and directive concerning the African National Congress (ANC) and the submission of its candidate lists for the 2026 Local Government Elections.
IEC Chairperson, Commissioner, Mosotho Moepya, today said: “Consistent with the constitutional imperative for free and fair elections as well as the importance of upholding the inherent principle of parity of treatment, the Commission has resolved that the 32 similarly situated parties must be deemed to have lawfully submitted their candidates.”
Moepya’s remarks follow the media briefing in Pretoria on the outcome of the Constitutional Court judgment and its implications for the Commission.
The Constitutional Court order requires the Commission to include 181 ANC candidates – 51 ward candidates and 130 proportional representation candidates – across six municipalities.
The Commission said it would be “irrational and offensive to the principle of parity of treatment to exclude parties similarly situated to the ANC.”
The inclusion of other parties was made judiciously and solely for the purpose of advancing free and fair elections demanded by the Constitution,” the Chairperson said. The Commission has put processes in place to give effect to the judicial injunction.
