South Africans are voting in municipal elections on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress faces renewed scrutiny over local government performance.


Approximately 29.2 million people are registered to vote at 23,696 voting stations nationwide. Polling hours run from 7am to 9pm South African Standard Time, with voters choosing representatives across eight metropolitan, 44 district and 205 local municipalities.


The contest takes place against a backdrop of dissatisfaction with basic services. In findings published on 2 November, research company Ipsos reported that 55% of registered voters distrusted their local governments, highlighting the challenge facing both incumbent administrations and their replacements.


Service Delivery Shapes the Contest


Water interruptions, deteriorating infrastructure and concerns about municipal competence feature prominently in voters’ assessments.


Ipsos found that 68% of registered voters believed poor sanitation linked to water interruptions posed a serious health risk in their communities.


Another 66% said local governments did not sufficiently recognise the importance of maintaining infrastructure for reliable services. These findings describe respondents’ perceptions rather than an independent technical assessment of municipal systems.


Ramaphosa acknowledged the damage caused by municipal failures in his presidential message on 2 November. He linked those failures to declining public confidence and presented the election as an opportunity to strengthen local government.


His message also outlined proposed reforms involving municipal finances, infrastructure maintenance and professional appointments. Among them are plans to reserve revenue from water and electricity sales for maintaining essential infrastructure.


ANC Seeks to Halt Electoral Decline


The ANC enters the vote after losing its parliamentary majority in the 2024 national election, its first such defeat since the end of apartheid. It won 159 seats in the 400-member National Assembly, down from 230 in 2019.


The party had already fallen below half of the combined national vote in the 2021 municipal elections. However, municipal elections determine representation in individual councils, so an aggregate national percentage does not establish which party controls each municipality.


Ipsos’ final pre-election release, published on 30 October, indicated a fragmented contest with no party commanding majority support nationally.


Its fieldwork ran from 12 September to 13 October, and the company cautioned that the findings reflected opinion during that period, not the eventual election outcome.


Johannesburg and eThekwini Draw Attention


In Johannesburg, the Democratic Alliance has fielded former party leader Helen Zille as its mayoral candidate. Her campaign has promised improvements to water and electricity infrastructure, municipal finances and public accountability. Those commitments remain campaign proposals rather than completed improvements.


Ipsos’ October findings placed the DA slightly ahead of the ANC in Johannesburg, while Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party led in eThekwini, which includes Durban. The research also recorded strong DA support in Cape Town and a competitive contest in Tshwane.


Municipal estimates carry wider margins of error than the national sample.

MK is contesting municipal elections for the first time. Its participation adds another contender to races where smaller parties may influence the formation of governing coalitions.


More Than 1.4 Million Special Votes Recorded


The main election follows special voting on 2 and 3 November. The Electoral Commission reported a preliminary total of 1,425,942 participants, comprising 974,852 people who voted at stations and 451,090 who voted through home visits.


The commission had approved 2,655,067 special-vote applications. These arrangements accommodate registered voters unable to reach their voting stations because of physical infirmity or disability, as well as those unable to attend on the main polling day.


For election-day voting, the commission requires voters to attend their registered stations and present an accepted identity document. These include a smart ID card, green barcoded ID book or valid Temporary Identity Certificate.


The IEC said special-vote ballots would remain securely stored until counting begins after election-day voting closes. Officials will count them alongside the main-day ballots and include them in each voting station’s overall results.