Ready, set vote! Hlabisa fires starting gun for 2026 local elections

Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has fired the starting gun for South Africa’s 2026 local government elections after officially declaring November 4 as voting day. The date was published in the Government Gazette on Friday, formally setting the election process in motion. Hlabisa said the announcement marked the start of the election period and called on South Africans to protect the country’s democratic process.

We call on all South Africans to ensure that the upcoming municipal elections are peaceful, credible, free and fair. He also urged broad participation in the elections, particularly among women, young people, persons with disabilities and people living in rural areas under traditional leadership. Hlabisa called on all eligible voters to turn out in their numbers on November 4, saying participation was important to strengthening democracy.

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) commissioner, Mosotho Moepya said once the voters’ roll closes, no new voter registrations or changes to registration details will be accepted. The Commission makes a final appeal to all eligible South Africans to register or update their details before midnight through the “data free” online registration portal registertovote.elections.org.za, or the WhatsApp channel 0600 88 0000. Since the second registration weekend, where 1 794 051 registration transactions were recorded, with an additional 210 734 transactions, bringing the total number of voter interactions recorded during this registration period to 2 million.