The new commissioners will serve for seven years.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed commissioners of the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
The Presidency stated that Ramaphosa made the appointments in accordance with section 6 of the Electoral Commission Act and on the recommendation of the National Assembly.
Commissioners
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said the new commissioners will serve for seven years.
“Mrs Joyce Pitso will serve as a full-time member of the Electoral Commission. Judge Dhaya Pillay will serve as a part-time member of the Electoral Commission. Mr Mosotho Moepya will serve as a full-time member of the Electoral Commission.
“President Ramaphosa has also, in terms of section 8(1) of the Electoral Commission Act, designated Mr Moepya as the chairperson of the commission. The president wishes the commissioners well in safeguarding the integrity of diverse elections in the country,” Magwenya said.
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Local government elections
The appointments come ahead of the local government elections in 2026.
The country held these elections in November 2021, and the five-year term for the current municipal councils ends on 2 November 2026.
From 2 November 2026, South Africa will have 90 days to elect new leaders, which means elections could be held between then and 31 January 2027.
Political parties
The IEC has not stopped working since the last major election in 2024, as 39 ward by-elections have been held across the country since April 2025.
Gauteng had the highest number of wards that held by-elections, with eight, followed by the Eastern Cape and Western Cape with seven wards each and KwaZulu-Natal with six wards.
Mamabolo announced that the IEC has registered 34 new political parties since May 2024, and 13 of these were registered in the last month.
This brings the total number of registered parties in the country to 472. Of these, 287 will contest elections nationally, while 185 are on a provincial, district or metro level.
Additional reporting by Vhahangwele Nemakonde.
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