The IEC said every election carries its own story and identity.
Picture: The Citizen
With the upcoming 2026 local government elections just a few months away, the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) has unveiled a new app for journalists.
The IEC said the new Media App is designed to give accredited media practitioners direct, real-time access to official announcements.
Media app
This includes media statements, accreditation services, event information, podcasts, interview scheduling and live updates, all in one place.
“The app will also seamlessly facilitate journalist accreditation for the Results Operations Centre (ROC) ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections, ensuring faster, easier and more efficient access to election activities and updates,” the IEC said.
Journalists can use the link below to register and stay connected during the elections:
Candidates
Meanwhile, IEC expects to far surpass the 100 000-mark achieved in the 2021 polls in prospective candidates to contest the upcoming local government elections.
IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said candidate nominations are likely to close at the end of July.
“Given the projected number of candidates, we encourage all prospective independent candidates and political parties to prepare the nomination documents and other requirements timeously.
Nominations
IEC deputy chief electoral officer for electoral matters, Masego Sheburi, said the increase is in line with the regular trend, where candidate registrations to contest tend to rise in every election.
“In the 2021 local government elections, just over 100,000 people were nominated, of which 95,000 met the requirements and were confirmed as candidates.
“The number of seats that were available on that election were 10 400, so 85 000 were unsuccessful in the elections,” Sheburi said.
Vote
With the local government elections looming, the IEC launched its “Get up. Show up. Vote.” campaign for the 2026 polls in April, placing strong emphasis on rebuilding public trust, strengthening technology, and deploying a 70 000-strong workforce to manage what the IEC believes could be a record turnout.
The IEC said every election carries its own story and identity.
