Voters in the Western Cape face more choices than ever on their municipal ballots this November. A total of 106 political parties have registered to contest the local government elections.

The figure surpasses the 96 that contested the 2021 local government elections, said IEC Western Cape Provincial Electoral Officer Michael Hendrickse.

Candidate nominations closed on Friday 28 August at 5pm. The elections take place on 4 November across 30 municipalities. These include the Cape Town Metro, 24 local councils and five district councils, covering 416 wards.

A crowded field

The Cape Town Metro leads with 57 contesting parties. The Cape Winelands follows with 39. The Garden Route has 38, the Central Karoo 33, and the Overberg 28.

Hendrickse said the 106 parties do not all contest in every municipality. Some parties operate locally, while others register only for the Metro. The largest number register nationally and contest municipal elections in other provinces too.

“When we add independents to the mix, it’s a real smorgasbord of political choices in our festival of democracy,” said Hendrickse.

Fifty-two independent candidates currently stand in wards across the province. The highest number of contestants in a single ward parties and independents together stands at 47.

Verification under way

Although the nomination period has closed, the process continues. The IEC is verifying that parties and independents submitted the necessary documents and paid the required deposits. Nominations that fail to meet these requirements are null and void in terms of the law.

The IEC may also contact authorised representatives to request outstanding identity documents or acceptance confirmations.

The commission is checking for candidates who appear on more than one party list. It is also looking for those who register as both independents and party candidates. The IEC will notify affected parties and independents by Wednesday 9 September. They have until Friday 11 September to leave their lists as they are or substitute the specific candidate.

“Substitution of candidates does not mean supplementing or adding additional candidates to their lists or changing the order of the list. Only the particular affected candidate can be substituted,” said Hendrickse.

While contesting in more than one ward may be unusual, it is lawful, said Hendrickse.

“While it may be an anomaly for the same individual to contest in numerous wards in a municipality, it is lawful, and it will ultimately be up to the voters to decide how they deal with this strategy ostensibly aimed at boosting the calculation of the overall vote,” he said.

Candidate lists expected mid-September

The IEC expects to finalise the nomination process by Wednesday 16 September and will then publish candidate lists.

Where a ward or proportional representation (PR) ballot has more than 48 contestants, the ballot paper will feature two columns. The Cape Town Metro PR ballot will have two columns to accommodate 55 contesting parties.

“This is to ensure that the ballot paper is not so long that it is difficult to manage in the ballot booth when voters are making their choices,” said Hendrickse.

Workshops for contesting parties

The IEC will engage with contesting parties and independent candidates through regional workshops across the province, starting on Monday 7 September. The sessions will cover the Code of Conduct and political activities on voting days. They will also address the counting of ballots, the results process and the calculation of seats.

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