IEC declares elections free and fair, orders fresh vote in Douglas in Northern Cape

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday night

The 2026 municipal elections have been declared free and fair, with the ANC’s share of the national vote dropping from 45.59% in 2021 to 30.76%, though it still finished first.

Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) chair Mosotho Moepya made the announcement at the official results declaration ceremony at the National Results Operation Centre in Midrand on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Moepya said the IEC was withholding the results of a voting station in Douglas, in the Siyancuma Municipality in the Northern Cape, after political activists allegedly stormed the station and destroyed ballot papers before they could be counted.

Moepya said the commission would arrange a new vote at the voting station.

“The commission will determine this pretty soon,” he said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Velenkosini Hlabisa and home affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber were among those at the ceremony, alongside leaders from various political parties.

Moepya said results had been finalised in 212 of the country’s 213 municipal councils.

“I am pleased, on behalf of the IEC, to declare the 2026 Local Government Elections free and fair,” Moepya said.

He said the commission had received and dealt with objections during the electoral process, and remained ready to rule on further objections after the declaration, as provided for in Section 65 of the Municipal Electoral Act.

The DA received 24.64% of the national vote, while MK Party came third with 9.76%. The EFF received 6.22%.

ActionSA rounded off the top five with 5.67%.

Moepya said the ANC won outright control of 53 municipalities and won the most seats in 128 municipalities.

The DA won outright control of 12 municipalities and won the most seats in 32.

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won outright control of five municipalities, while the MK Party won outright control of three.

Rise Tsantsabane Communities, a local party in the Northern Cape, won outright control of one municipality.

Overall, 74 of the country’s 213 municipal councils have a party with an outright majority.

A further 137 councils are hung, which means no party won more than half the seats and parties will have to form coalitions to govern them.

Moepya said about 14.9 million South Africans voted, a national turnout of 52%.

This is 6.1 percentage points higher than the 45.9% turnout in the 2021 municipal elections.

A total of 29.2 million voters were registered for the elections, in which 520 political parties and 636 independent candidates contested 10,526 council seats.

He said the elections had not been without challenges, and the commission had a responsibility to acknowledge its shortcomings and improve its processes.

“No institution can take itself seriously if it does not acknowledge its shortcomings,” Moepya said.

He said the IEC would keep working to improve its credibility through competence, impartiality, transparency, accountability and integrity.