2026 elections: IEC to provide update on final candidate lists

by Chumasande Matiwane

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. 

Also see: Youth urged to use their voice in upcoming local elections

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. 

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.

Also see: IEC reports sharp rise in candidates for November local elections

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. 

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. 

Also see: Musa Kekana alleges police suffocated him with a duvet and threatened to shoot him

Featured image: X/@atkinsmike1

Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp channel for content worth tapping into. Click here to join!