South Africans head to the polls on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, in closely watched local government elections, with political parties competing for control of major cities amid growing public discontent over failing services, crumbling infrastructure, inequality and unemployment.
Polling stations are scheduled to open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m. More than 29 million voters are registered, although turnout in the 2021 municipal elections was just 46 per cent. The Electoral Commission said on Tuesday that only 1.4 million of the 2.6 million voters approved for special voting over two days had cast their ballots.
The African National Congress (ANC), which led South Africa’s liberation struggle, is still expected to emerge as the largest party nationally, but its support has continued to decline. The party fell below 50 per cent in the 2021 municipal elections and secured just over 40 per cent in the 2024 national vote, forcing it to form a government of national unity with nine other parties.
The liberal Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s second-largest party, is targeting Johannesburg, seeking to capitalise on service delivery failures in the ANC stronghold. Meanwhile, former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party is mounting a strong challenge for Durban, after winning 14.5 per cent of the vote and finishing third nationally in 2024.
Zuma, speaking in Durban on Sunday, said the party would begin by “taking back our country here.” The coastal city has also become a focal point of growing anti-migrant sentiment, a prominent issue in the election campaign.
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