President Cyril Ramaphosa announced today that South Africa’s local government elections will be held on 4 November, giving political parties and voters less than 190 days to prepare.
The announcement was made at the Presidential Coordinating Council meeting at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg, where Ramaphosa met with mayors, premiers and government officials.
The president made the announcement after consultation with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, whose department is responsible for setting election dates.
The elections must be held within 90 days of the end of the current municipal councils’ five-year terms. The previous local government elections were held on 1 November 2021, meaning the 2026 elections can take place any time between 2 November 2026 and 30 January 2027.
The Independent Electoral Commission had indicated it was prepared to administer elections on the first Wednesday of November, taking into account factors such as matriculation examinations, higher education exams and weather patterns.
The announcement comes as government continues to grapple with widespread service delivery challenges in municipalities across the country. Ramaphosa has acknowledged that “the challenges of reliable service delivery and addressing basic services backlogs are glaring” and attributed community protests to “the lack of requisite capacity in government to govern properly, manage finances and maintain infrastructure”.
The DA was quick to respond to the announcement, with National Campaign Manager Ashor Sarupen saying the party is “ready for the march to Election Day”.
“This local government election is make-or-break for many small towns, municipalities and metros – and only voters can decide if their towns or cities fail or succeed,” Sarupen said in a statement released shortly after Ramaphosa’s announcement.
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The DA said it has already engaged with more than 2.5 million voters and plans to ramp up its campaign to reach millions more in the coming months. The party is targeting municipalities across all provinces where support levels show it can win.
Sarupen highlighted the importance of voter registration, noting that voting will only be possible at registered voting stations. The Electoral Commission has set aside 20 and 21 June 2026 as a voter registration weekend.
The DA has already begun announcing mayoral candidates who have been selected through what Sarupen described as a “rigorous process to ensure the highest calibre”.
With more than 200 000 new voters registered since November 2025, the elections are expected to be highly contested as parties vie for control of key metros and municipalities.
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