IEC welcomes strong voter registration turnout ahead of local elections

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has welcomed the strong turnout during the final voter registration weekend ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections, with thousands of South Africans registering to vote or updating their details.

According to the South African Government News Agency, IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo thanked South Africans for responding positively to the registration drive, while urging those who missed the weekend to register online or at their local IEC office before the voters’ roll closes.

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“We are delighted that South Africans have responded positively to this final voter registration weekend, but there is still a crucial window of opportunity for those who have not yet registered or who need to update their registration details.

“We urge every eligible citizen to ensure that they are correctly registered and assigned to the right voting district,” said Mamabolo.

All 23 699 voting stations across the country were open during the registration weekend on August 1 and 2. More than 99% opened on time at 08:00 on Saturday.

By midday on Saturday, the IEC had recorded more than 238 000 voter transactions through voting stations and its online registration portal. Of these, 198 232 were completed at voting stations, while the Commission’s data-free online registration portal recorded 20 078 transactions.

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KZN recorded the highest number of voter transactions (55 759), followed by the Eastern Cape (46 889) and Gauteng (41 774).

Other provinces also recorded strong turnout, with Limpopo registering 29 680 transactions, the Western Cape 19 693, Mpumalanga 17 218, North West 15 610, the Free State 13 110 and the Northern Cape 6 213.

The IEC also confirmed that it experienced technical challenges with its data-free online voter registration service during the weekend.

The Commission said its technical team is working with its partners to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

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The outcome of the voter registration drive will be announced during a media briefing at Election House in Centurion at 13:00 on Monday.

Eligible voters who missed the registration weekend can still register or update their details online or at their local IEC office until the voters’ roll officially closes.

Registered voters are also encouraged to verify their details online, through the IEC App, by contacting the IEC Contact Centre on 0800 11 8000, or by sending their identity number via SMS to 32810 at a cost of R1 per SMS.