Tshwane metro voters turn out early as election day begins
Mayoral candidates urge patience at Pretoria polling stations while the IEC manages long queues and over 29 million registered voters nationwide.
Voters across the Tshwane metro turned out early on a hot day to cast their ballots in the 2026 Local Government Elections, with mayoral candidates urging residents to remain patient, endure long queues and exercise their democratic right.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) recorded 29.2 million registered voters nationwide across 23 696 voting stations for the 2026 Local Government Elections.
A total of 188 000 IEC officials have been deployed to voting stations to assist voters and oversee the electoral process.
Ballot papers and essential election materials have been distributed, with logistical, security and operational arrangements in place.
Voting stations opened at 07:00 and are scheduled to close at 21:00 on Wednesday.
Mayoral candidates cast ballots
Cilliers Brink, the DA’s mayoral candidate, cast his vote at Laerskool Wapadrand in Wapadrand. He urged voters to remain patient, particularly where queues were long, and to persevere despite frustrations.
He said voting was a right worth exercising, even when circumstances were difficult, adding that participating in elections was the only way to bring about change.
“One of the most important things is that we do have agents counting votes at the end of the day to make sure your vote counts.”
Willie Spies, mayoral candidate for the Freedom Front Plus, expressed satisfaction with the enthusiasm shown by voters arriving at polling stations.
“This is a matter of life and death,” he said. “We can take back the Tshwane council after a 10-month campaign. I can feel the electricity in the air.”
Residents share experiences
Pretoria East resident Stefan Herold said he had been looking forward to voting and was encouraged by the number of people who turned out at the Wapadrand voting station.
“It convinces me that I am not the only one who believes our democracy is important enough to fight for,” he said.
Walter Smuts, also from Pretoria East, initially visited his local voting station to see how proceedings were unfolding. Although the queues appeared long, he said he would return to cast his ballot. “But I will come to vote. It is a responsibility of all South Africans,” he said.
Hannah Rabie, from Pretoria East, described the IEC’s arrangements as seamless and said she had enjoyed the voting experience. She said she was glad she arrived early and voted alongside friends.
Commission addresses operational challenges
The IEC has also acknowledged operational challenges affecting 217 voting stations in Cape Town during the special voting period. The commission confirmed that all 217 stations affected by delays had subsequently opened and remained operational.
Speaking during an evening media briefing at the National Results Operation Centre in Midrand before the elections, IEC national spokesperson Kate Bapela and CEO Sy Mamabolo provided an update on the first day of special voting.
Mamabolo said some operational irregularities were inevitable given the scale of the elections, which involved thousands of voting stations and a substantial workforce.
“When you deal with a programme as big as an election, aberrations are going to arise. They will arise because of the sheer size of the operation,” he said.
Voters seeking information about their registration and voting arrangements can contact the IEC through its official channels. They can send their identity number by WhatsApp to 0600 88 0000, send an SMS to 32810 at a cost of R1 per message, or call the contact centre on 0800 11 8000.
Information is also available at www.elections.org.za.
– Click here two watch Willie Spies and Cilliers Brink talk about November 4.
WATCH:
– Results can be monitored on the IEC dashboard; https://results.elections.org.za/dashboards/lge/
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