RAMAPHOSA SETS 4 NOVEMBER FOR 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS*

President Announces Poll Date at PCC Meeting in Ekurhuleni, Gives Parties Less Than 190 Days to Prepare

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief

The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.  

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EKURHULENI — President Cyril Ramaphosa has set 4 November 2026 as the date for South Africa’s next local government elections, giving political parties under 190 days to mobilise ahead of what is expected to be one of the most contested municipal polls since 1994.

Ramaphosa announced the date Thursday at the President’s Coordinating Council meeting at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni. He made the declaration after consultation with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa.

The announcement came during a gathering of mayors, premiers and senior government officials, where the President addressed key intergovernmental priorities ahead of the vote.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines, Ramaphosa confirmed the date was now official. “4 November has been set,” he said, drawing immediate attention from the media corps gathered with microphones...

With the date now fixed, the Independent Electoral Commission and political parties face a compressed timeline. The announcement puts less than 190 days on the clock before South Africans head to the polls to elect ward councillors and municipal councils across the country’s 257 municipalities.

The 2026 elections will be a critical test for the Government of National Unity and for the African National Congress, which lost its outright majority in several key metros during the 2021 local government elections. Opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters, are expected to intensify campaigns in the coming months.

The President is required by the Electoral Act to set the election date in consultation with the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Ramaphosa’s announcement follows that constitutional process, formalising a date that had been widely anticipated since the start of the year.

The Birchwood meeting forms part of the President’s Coordinating Council, a forum that brings together national and provincial executives to align policy and service delivery. Local government elections fall under that mandate, as municipalities remain at the frontline of basic service delivery, infrastructure and community governance.

Municipal elections directly affect service delivery, rates, housing, water, and refuse collection in communities across South Africa. The 2021 polls saw a sharp decline in voter turnout and a surge in independent candidates, signalling growing voter disillusionment with traditional parties.

This time, parties will be campaigning against the backdrop of rolling power cuts, water shortages, and unemployment — issues that have dominated municipal politics in recent years. The outcome will also shape coalition dynamics in metros such as Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, and Nelson Mandela Bay, where no single party holds a majority.

The Electoral Commission is expected to release the official election timetable in the coming weeks, outlining key dates for voter registration, candidate nominations, and special voting.