The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is expected to brief the media on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, as it finalises the list of candidates who will contest the upcoming Local Government Elections.
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The briefing comes after the close of the candidate nomination process and a period of verification, objections, and administrative checks by the IEC.
South Africans are scheduled to go to the polls on 4 November 2026 to elect municipal councils across the country.
Today | IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo will brief the nation on the finalisation of candidates contesting the 2026 Local Government Elections and outline the next phases of the Election Timetable.
🕐 13:10–14:00
📍 Election House, Riverside Office Park, CenturionTune… pic.twitter.com/k3bflA1D9V
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) September 16, 2026
More than 142,000 candidates nominated
The IEC reported that 142,072 candidates had been nominated by the deadline of 17:00 on 28 August. These nominations cover 10,526 council seats across South Africa’s municipalities.
According to EWN, the IEC reported that over 40,241 candidates were nominated by political parties for proportional-representation seats, while 100,856 were nominated by political parties for ward seats. A further 975 independent candidates were nominated to contest ward seats.
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The number of nominations represents an increase of about 43% compared with the 2021 Local Government Elections, when the IEC received approximately 99,000 nominations.
The finalisation of these numbers has taken place amid a dispute involving the African National Congress (ANC) and the IEC over candidate submissions. The ANC says technical problems with the IEC’s candidate-capture system affected some of its submissions.
The dispute has subsequently raised the possibility of further legal proceedings concerning candidates whose nominations were not accepted.
The ANC will find out on Wednesday whether its bid to have the IEC accept its disputed candidate lists has succeeded. Tune in to #eNCA on #DStv403. pic.twitter.com/VukR0oxtxU
— eNCA (@eNCA) September 16, 2026
What happens next?
The publication of the final candidate list is an important milestone in the election timetable.
With elections set for 4 November 2026, political parties and independent candidates will now turn their attention to campaigning, while voters will be able to establish which candidates are contesting seats in their respective municipalities and wards.
The IEC’s media briefing is expected to provide an update on the finalisation process and the candidates cleared to contest the 2026 Local Government Elections.
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Featured image: X/@atkinsmike1
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