Midrand:The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is currently addressing objections lodged by political parties concerning the results of the 2026 Local Government Elections. This comes as the Commission prepares to announce the final election results.
According to South African Government News Agency, the IEC Chairperson, Mosotho Moepya, stated that after successfully processing the election results, the Commission is now focused on resolving objections that could impact the election outcome. By 3pm on Saturday, 197 objections had been received, of which 54 were dismissed, eight withdrawn, and two upheld.
The Electoral Commission has emphasized that section 65 of the Municipal Electoral Act allows parties to file objections that are material to the final election results. These objections can pertain to voting, vote counting, interference with election activities, or the intimidation of voters at polling stations.
Moepya provided these updates during a media briefing at the National Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Midrand. South Africans had cast their votes on Wednesday to elect representatives to municipal councils, with parties and independent candidates given until 5pm on Friday, November 6, 2026, to file objections.
Under the Municipal Electoral Act, the IEC is required to investigate each objection and decide whether to uphold or reject it, subsequently notifying the objector and other interested parties. If an objection is upheld before the election results are declared, the IEC may decide to disregard votes from a particular station or adjust the votes in favor of a party or candidate. If upheld after results are declared, the IEC can amend the result or refer the objection to the Electoral Court.
Results processing has been completed in several provinces, including the Free State, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Limpopo. However, results are still being finalized in parts of Gauteng, North West, and KwaZulu-Natal. The IEC aims to complete these processes by Saturday evening and announce the final election results on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 6pm.