Hlabisa to proclaim 4 November as local government election date

Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa says government will officially proclaim 4 November as the date for the 2026 local government elections on Friday, 7 August.

Speaking in Durban on Sunday, Hlabisa said a government gazette had been prepared and that space had been booked to proclaim the date on Friday, with the voters' roll set to close at midnight that day.

He urged all South Africans who will be 18 by 4 November to use the voter registration period to register for the first time or verify their details on the voters' roll.

His appeal followed a strong start to the final voter registration weekend, with the Electoral Commission (IEC) reporting that more than 99% of the country's 23,699 voting stations opened on time on Saturday.

By midday, the IEC had recorded more than 238,000 voter transactions, most involving updates to existing registrations, while 31,892 people registered as new voters.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of transactions at 53,958, followed by the Eastern Cape (45,375) and Gauteng (40,425).

Hlabisa acknowledged some voters may have been unable to register immediately due to personal commitments, but urged them not to leave it until the final day. "Don't wait for the last day, because you will be excluding yourself from deciding your future for the development that you want as a community," he said.

He also encouraged South Africans to make their voices heard through the ballot box rather than through protest action.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the proclamation would set in motion key electoral processes, including publication of the election timetable, voting station lists, inspection of the voters' roll and the cut-off for candidate nominations.

He said the IEC anticipates printing more than 70 million ballot papers within a three-week window.

The IEC is expected to give a further update on Monday following the close of the final voter registration weekend.

SOURCE: African News Agency.

PHOTO CREDIT: ANA