Four weeks to the local elections: 136,790 candidates certified and the biggest ballots yet
The IEC has certified 136,790 candidates for the 4 November local government elections, up from 95,427 in 2021, after disqualifying 5,096 (BusinessDay, EWN, Briefly, IOL). The Western Cape has 106 parties and 33 independents for 868 seats; KwaZulu-Natal has 111 parties and 104 independents for 2,166 seats. Metro ballots list 75 parties in Johannesburg, 70 in Tshwane, 69 in eThekwini, 67 in Ekurhuleni and 55 in Cape Town. Ramaphosa announced the date on 30 April. Municipal terms end on 2 November.
Local government delivers water, electricity, refuse and roads. Many metros are run by coalitions, so a long ballot with many small parties makes post-election deals harder.
Check your registration and your voting station on the IEC website or app. Long ballots take longer to fill in, so allow time on the day.
A record number of candidates and independents shows wide participation and a demand for local alternatives.
A very long, fragmented ballot can confuse voters, split support and produce unstable coalitions.
Count the number of parties in each metro as an early sign of coalition difficulty. DailyDrop will track turnout expectations and the question of a public holiday on 4 November.
DailyDrop South Africa edition No. 1 · Morning · MON., OCT. 5, 2026