IEC Delays 2026 Local Government Election Results Announcement To Sunday As Five Ward Recounts Ordered
With 99% of national votes counted, the Electoral Commission is working through 197 objections and five ward recounts before announcing the final election results on Sunday.
South Africans will have to wait another day for the official announcement of the 2026 Local Government Election results after the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) postponed its declaration to Sunday. The delay comes as officials work through objections and recounts, despite 99% of national votes having been counted by Saturday afternoon. The Commission has scheduled the announcement for 6pm on Sunday.
IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya confirmed the postponement during a media briefing at the National Results Operations Centre (NROC) in Midrand on Saturday. He revealed that the Commission had received 197 objections by 3pm, with only a portion of the cases having been resolved. The outstanding matters must be addressed before the provisional results can be confirmed as final.
2026 Election Results: ANC Leads Nationally As IEC Processes Objections
The latest figures presented by the IEC show the African National Congress (ANC) maintaining its position at the top of the national leaderboard with 30.89% of the vote. The Democratic Alliance (DA) follows with 24.58%, while the MK Party occupies third position with 9.63%. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have secured 6.25%, followed by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) with 5.68%.
Of the 197 objections received, 54 had been dismissed, eight withdrawn and two upheld by Saturday afternoon.
Moepya cautioned that the results could still change depending on the Commission's decisions regarding the outstanding complaints. He explained that the final allocation of council seats could be affected by the outcome of these processes.
"Pertinently, provisional results may change as a consequence of the determination of an objection. In this regard, seats that are assigned in the provisional results may change because of the decision of the Commission in determining an objection," he said.
IEC Orders Five Ward Recounts In Tshwane, Mangaung And Other Municipalities
The two upheld objections resulted in an order for an edit window in one instance and recounts in five wards. The affected areas include municipalities in Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape. The recounts will take place at the following locations:
- City of Tshwane, Ward 57: Village Montessori School.
- City of Tshwane, Ward 102: Patt Projects.
- Mangaung Metro, Ward 19: Ehrlich Park Fire Station.
- Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, Ward 4: Shalom Church Centre.
- Breede Valley Local Municipality, Ward 12: Christian Light Ministries.
The Commission has prioritised objections that could have a material effect on the election outcome. Moepya assured the public that officials were working to resolve the outstanding matters as quickly as possible. "The Commission will spare no effort to finalise the objections before it announces the election results," he said.
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Political parties and independent candidates had until 5pm on Friday to submit their objections to the electoral process. The IEC is now working through the submissions to determine which cases require further intervention before the final results are declared.
IEC Election Results Announcement: Outstanding Municipalities Still Being Processed
Although results processing has been completed in several parts of the country, a number of municipalities were still awaiting finalisation at the time of Saturday's briefing. The Free State, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo had completed processing across all their municipalities. Three provinces were still working through the remaining stages.
In Gauteng, outstanding results processing involved Emfuleni, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. Rustenburg was the only municipality still awaiting finalisation in the North West, while Msunduzi and eThekwini remained outstanding in KwaZulu-Natal. Moepya said the Commission expected processing in these municipalities to be completed by Saturday evening.
"We urge contesting parties and candidates, citizens and the media to bear with the Commission as it winds up the rest of the remaining processes," he said.
The IEC has confirmed that the final announcement of the 2026 Local Government Election results will take place at 6pm on Sunday. Until then, the provisional figures remain subject to changes arising from objections and recounts.
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