Pretoria:The Electoral Commission's Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, will brief the media this evening on the Commission's readiness for the 2026 Local Government Elections special votes scheduled for 2 and 3 November. The briefing will commence at 6 pm at the National Results Operations Centre (ROC) located at Gallagher Convention Centre.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) recently approved a record 2,655,067 special vote applications for the upcoming elections, marking a 131% increase from the 1,147,759 applications approved in 2021. The special vote application period ran from 21 September to 12 October 2026.
The approved applications are divided into two categories home visits for voters unable to travel due to physical infirmity or disability, and voting station-based special votes for those who can reach their stations but cannot vote on Election Day. Of the applications, 678,525 were for home visits, representing a 33.7% increase compared with 2021 figures. Most applications, totaling 2,426,066, were submitted online, while 171,214 were manually submitted and are being finalized for completion by 16 October 2026.
Special voting is set to occur ahead of the general Election Day on Wednesday, 4 November.
Parallel to the Electoral Commission's briefing, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), including the South African Police Service (SAPS), South African National Defence Force (SANDF), and State Security Agency (SSA), will also address the media regarding the Security Cluster's operational readiness for the elections. National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola emphasized SAPS's readiness to ensure a secure election process, highlighting the extensive planning that has taken place over several months.