Parties Have 1 Year Left To Prepare for Local Government Elections As Possible Date Announced

• The Independent Electoral Commission has hinted at the possibility of the first week of November 2026 as the date for the next local government elections
• The IEC held a press briefing and said that it was waiting for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to confirm the date
• The IEC also announced that it will not adopt e-voting for the upcoming elections after members of Parliament called for the adoption of e-voting

With over seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist, offered insights into South African politics, national, provincial, and local governance, the Government of National Unity, political parties, and Parliament.

JOHANNESBURG — The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has indicated its readiness for the Local Government Elections. The IEC hinted at the possibility of s confirmed date for the upcoming elections.

The IEC held a press briefing in Tshwane on 4 November 2025. The IEC's Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Masego Sheburi, said that the Commission is consulting with the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa. Hlsbisa indicated support for the elections to take place between November 2026 and 31 January 2027. A final date, however, has not been announced.

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IEC ready for elections

Sheburi said that the IEC is ready to administer an election in the first week of November. He also spoke about voter registration trends, and said that the IEC is not registering eligible voters fast enough to compensate for the number of dead people and people leaving the roll. He said it's estimated to be at a 31,000 loss per month.

IEC rules out e-voting

Sheburi also said that e-voting will not be implemented in the upcoming general elections. He said that the Commission has received submissions for its public consultation and said that many participants supported a hybrid election approach.

Source: Briefly News