95% of voters praise IEC service as survey reveals short queues at 2026 local polls

The IEC announced the 2026 Local Government Election results at the National Results Operations Centre in Gauteng on Sunday evening.

Despite reports of long queues and technical problems at some Western Cape voting stations, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says 95% of voters surveyed nationally were satisfied with the service they received during the 2026 Local Government Elections.

The findings announced on Sunday, November 7, 2026, also revealed that 91% of respondents waited no longer than 30 minutes to vote, while approximately 81% expressed trust in the country's electoral system.

IEC chairperson Commissioner Mosotho Moepya shared the findings during the announcement of the election results at the National Results Operations Centre at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng, on Sunday evening.

Moepya said the findings demonstrated that electoral integrity remained strong, despite the practical challenges associated with conducting elections.

“Ahead of the general election, the commission considered many parts of its work as work that cannot fail. This work will continue. But it is important to indicate that we as a nation have institutions to ensure the effectiveness of the election,” he said.

He thanked voters for their participation and patience, acknowledging that voting could sometimes be challenging but emphasising its importance in ensuring service delivery in communities.

The announcement comes after close to 15 million South Africans casted their votes, with national voter turnout recorded at approximately 52%.

The elections saw 520 political parties and more than 136 000 candidates contesting positions across the country's municipalities.

IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo also revealed that just over 100 million ballot papers had been printed for the elections.

Mamabolo further highlighted the scale of the electoral operation, with approximately 188 000 electoral staff deployed across 24 000 voting stations.