Today’s local government election is probably the most consequential municipal ballot of the democratic era. To help you keep tabs on how it’s turning out, the following is a digest of news, incidents, insights and experiences.
Some 29.2 million South Africans are registered to vote. Polls opened at 7am, and will close at 9pm today. More than 600 parties are contesting 10,526 council seats. Some 188,000 officials will be manning 23,696 voting stations across the country.
10:25
Dr Nasiphi Moya, outgoing mayor of Tshwane, has cast her vote. She is ActionSA’s mayoral candidate in the capital city.
I have cast my vote for #FiveMoreYears!
#VoteActionSA
#LGE2026 🇿🇦🗳️ https://t.co/qx9pPh0lgq— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) November 4, 2026
10:13
In his latest update, Hermann Pretorius notes: “In large parts of rural Western Cape, the PA seems set to make significant gains. The reality of two election narratives is now clear: in the metros, the DA seems set to make advances, but rural South Africa remains another country where parties like the MK and PA, more blatantly identitarian in character and message, are increasingly setting the terms of politics.”
09:45
Geordin Hill-Lewis, leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), has cast his vote. “I voted to take this great city forward for everyone,” he said after voting at Edgemead Primary School in Cape Town. He expressed gratitude for first-time DA voters: “To everyone voting DA for the first time I want to thank you for putting your trust in us. We will work every day to earn it. Wherever we govern, we will serve every resident, whoever they voted for”. Image credit: Charity McCord / DA
09:34:
Spotted by Centre for Risk Analysis research associate Ofentse Donald Davhie at Tshwane’s Centurion ward 65 …
09:27:
Associate Ed. Ricardo Teixeira done!
09.14:
Elnieke Bronkhorst … done and dusted
09.04:
In the headlines … how the world is viewing South Africa’s local government elections: “ANC under pressure to reverse South Africa decline” (BBC), “South Africans vote in local elections that could continue the decline of the once-mighty ANC” (Associated Press), “Water, migration, misinformation and an ANC in decline: Why South Africa’s local elections matter” (Deutsche Welle), “South Africa votes under shadow of service failures” (France 24), and “South Africa votes in local polls expected to further weaken ANC grip” (Reuters)
08.57:
A well-prepared voter-to-be … spotted by Hermann Pretorius in Newlands, Tshwane …
08.50:
IRR CEO Dr John Endres reports lengthening queues in Bryanston …
08.43:
Update from Hermann Pretorius: “Electricity struggles in Tshwane are causing a slower connectivity speed at some voting stations, slowing down the process.”
08:42:
IRR Production Editor Elnieke Bronkhorst writes from Ward 69 in Eldoraigne, Centurion… “Line moving quickly, Voting station has some coffee and snack stalls… ANC, Action SA, DA and VF plus have stalls here.”
08.39:
Daily Friend Associate Editor Ricardo Teixeira reports that the queue at Tshwane ward 56, Brooklyn Primary VD, has gone around the block, with the neighborhood out early in numbers. “Currently half of us don’t have power, many since Sunday.”
08.34:
Hermann Pretorius writes: “Some reports of IEC technology not fully functional in Tshwane, causing delays. Something to watch closely over the course of the day.”
08.23:
Hermann Pretorius writes: “Fears arising that longer than expected early queues are, as in 2024, due to slow voting and issues of voting logistics. However, reports of these seem to be lower, making enthusiasm rather than delays the likelier cause for the queues.”
08.12:
Talya O’Haher reports from Somerset West: “Quite a relaxed atmosphere, there was even a whole family dressed in their Springbok regalia for gees💪 unfortunately many people did not check their voting station beforehand and were turned away. Even those who did check beforehand or in the line waited to reach the front of the queue to argue with the IEC officials. Mainly pensioners who had been voting in the same place for years whose voting station was changed this time.”
08.05:
Hermann Pretorius, the IRR’s Head of Strategic Communications – a noted elections watcher, and author of Rule Breakers: How the 2024 Election Campaign Changed South Africa Forever – writes: “Senior sources within the DA confirm cautiously suspicions, though very early in the day, of a strong DA differential turnout. Anecdotal reports from several voting stations in traditional DA areas in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Tshwane indicate higher than expected turnout.”
07.59:
IRR’s Internal Stakeholder Relationship Manager and Daily Friend writer, Talya O’Haher, shows her thumbs in Somerset West, before and after …
07.04:
Voting is brisk in Bryanston … queuing starts early in fine weather. [Image: John Endres]
Bryanston [Image: John Endres]
The big contenders … Bryanston Park voting station [Image: John Endres]