IEC gazettes names of elected councillors as municipalities prepare for first council sittings

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has gazetted the names of councillors elected in the 2026 Local Government Elections, paving the way for municipalities to begin preparations for the inauguration of new councils.

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced the publication during a media briefing in Pretoria on Friday, 13 November 2026, saying municipal managers must convene the first meetings of their respective councils within 14 days.

“The publication of the list of councillors today, 13 November 2026, will enable planning for the inaugural sittings of the municipal councils,” Moepya said.

The gazetting follows the announcement of election results on 8 November and the completion of administrative processes required before councillors could be formally listed.

These included notifying political parties that had nominated fewer proportional representation (PR) candidates than the number of seats they had won, as well as requiring parties and independent candidates to choose between multiple seats where applicable.

Political parties had until 11 November to address candidate-list shortfalls or indicate which seats their candidates would occupy.

However, the IEC clarified that the process was not an opportunity for parties to change their candidate lists or replace nominees.

Parties that failed to submit sufficient candidates risk forfeiting seats where the shortfall makes it impossible for a municipal council to form a quorum.

Five ward by-elections to follow

The Commission confirmed that five ward by-elections will be required following the local government elections.

Two by-elections became necessary after councillors were redesignated to other wards after winning more than one seat. These will take place in Ward 12 of Johannes Phumani Pungula Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal and Ward 13 of Dihlabeng Municipality in the Free State.

Three additional by-elections will follow the deaths of ward councillors in Ward 16 of Raymond Mhlaba Municipality in the Eastern Cape, Ward 12 of Merafong Municipality in Gauteng and Ward 17 of uMlalazi Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.

Meanwhile, four ward contests were decided by drawing lots after candidates received equal numbers of votes.

The African National Congress won Ward 7 in Mnquma Municipality in the Eastern Cape and Ward 5 in Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality in Limpopo.

The African Content Movement secured Ward 14 in Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality in the Free State, while the South African Communist Party won Ward 17 in Steve Tshwete Municipality in Mpumalanga.

Women account for 33.6% of councillors

The IEC reported that 10 526 seats were available across the 2026 elections, comprising 8 825 local council seats and 1 701 district council seats.

Of the district council seats, 707 are directly elected, while 994 will be filled by representatives elected from local councils.

Women account for 33.6% of the declared councillors, with female representation higher among PR councillors at 39.7%, compared with 26.8% among ward councillors.

The average age of councillors is 47.3 years, while those under the age of 35 account for 10.8% of the total.

IEC processes 433 election objections

Moepya also provided an update on objections lodged under Section 65 of the Municipal Structures Act.

By midday on Friday, the Commission had received 1 708 submissions, of which 433 were classified as formal Section 65 objections.

Of these, 252 had been finalised, with three upheld and 249 rejected.

The decisions involved 12 recounts and seven edit windows, while a revote in the Northern Cape is scheduled for next week.

The gazetted list excludes councillors for Siyancuma Municipality in the Northern Cape, where the seat calculation and allocation will only be completed after a revote in a voting district in Ward 3.

Special voting is scheduled for 17 November, followed by voting on 18 November.

Moepya said the gazetting also establishes the effective date of councillors' election, confirming that they are deemed to have been elected from 8 November 2026, when the election results were announced.

Electoral Court rules on Ngcobo impersonation case

The Commission also reported on a judgment involving an impersonation case in Ngcobo Municipality.

The Electoral Court barred a candidate who impersonated an IEC staff member from holding councillor office for the five-year term of councils elected on 4 November.

The candidate's accomplice was sentenced to a R100 000 fine, suspended for three years.

The gazetting of councillors marks an important step towards the formal establishment of the new municipal councils, with municipalities now required to prepare for their inaugural meetings and the start of their new terms.