Midrand:The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced that the 2026 Local Government Elections commenced smoothly, with 98% of the country's 23,696 voting stations opening by 7 am on Wednesday.
According to South African Government News Agency, IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Sheburi reported during a media briefing that the voting process is proceeding well nationwide, with millions of registered voters having already cast their ballots. By 10 am, 3,523,691 votes had been cast across all nine provinces, with Gauteng leading at 895,384 votes, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 623,380, the Western Cape with 461,264, and the Eastern Cape with 431,123.
Sheburi expressed the IEC's encouragement over voter enthusiasm, noting the early arrival of many voters at polling stations. He urged remaining registered voters to cast their ballots within the voting hours to exercise their democratic rights. The IEC has introduced measures such as handheld barcode scanners attached to Voter Management Devices (VMDs) and sequence numbers on voters' rolls to improve efficiency and streamline voter verification.
Despite a few delays due to localised protests and weather-related access issues in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, all ballot papers were delivered to voting stations, with only a few arriving shortly after the polls opened.
The Commission emphasized that the number of ballot papers issued to voters varies with the type of municipality. Local municipality voters receive three ballots, while metropolitan municipality voters receive two. Voters are reminded to mark only one choice per ballot to avoid spoiling their vote.
In a concerning incident, the IEC reported the theft of unused ballot papers and a stamp from a voting station in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal. Measures are in place to identify any stolen ballots, and a case has been opened with the South African Police Service. The IEC acknowledged the support from the Department of Home Affairs and other security agencies in ensuring a safe electoral environment.