Soweto Residents Block Major Roads, Demand Election Re-run Over Disputed Ward 37 Results
- Residents in Klipspruit and Nancefield barricaded two major roads in Soweto on 9 November 2026
- Protesters expressed unhappiness with the results of the election in Ward 37, in the City of Johannesburg
- The Independent Electoral Commission recently ruled that the elections were free and fair
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Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG — Supporters of multiple political parties barricaded two major roads in Soweto on 9 November 2026, disrupting traffic in Klipspruit and Nancefield over disputed Ward 37 election results.
Protesters scattered debris including wooden planks, bricks, and stones across Moroka-Nancefield Road and Klipspruit Valley Road, forcing pedestrians and motorists to navigate around the blockages.
Video footage captured at a street intersection in the area shows the aftermath of the obstruction. The protests came on the same day that the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) declared South Africa's 2026 Local Government Elections to be free and fair.
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Ward 37 results under dispute
According to the IEC, the African National Congress secured the ward with 25.24% of the vote. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) finished second on 20.04%, while the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) came third with 16.66%.
Ward 37 covers parts of Klipspruit, Mofolo South, and Jabavu. It remains unclear which party the protesters backed or what specific irregularities they allege. Their central demand is that the IEC declare the results invalid and arrange a fresh vote.
MK Party members demand Emfuleni vote recount
In a related article, members of the MK Party descended on the IEC Results Operations Centre in Vanderbijlpark demanding a recount of votes in Emfuleni.
Police were placed on high alert as the crowd gathered on the steps and plaza of the centre before spilling onto the surrounding streets.
The demonstration was triggered by early results that placed the Democratic Alliance well ahead in a municipality where the MK Party had anticipated stronger support.
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Source: Briefly News
