Polls Close Across SA As IEC Begins Counting Ballots
Voting in South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections are officially closed, with counting now underway at voting stations across the country.
IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo confirmed that ballots are being counted at the stations where they were cast, in the presence of political party agents and accredited observers.
The counting process includes checking and sorting ballots, reconciling the figures and recording results before they are captured and verified by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
Preliminary figures showed that approximately 12 million voters had cast their ballots by 5pm, out of about 29.2 million registered voters. Gauteng recorded the highest turnout, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
Voting was generally smooth, although some stations experienced delays due to protests, heavy rain and power outages.
The IEC is expected to publish results as they are captured and verified, with the final results and municipal council seat allocations expected to be announced within seven days.