South Africans head to the polls on Wednesday, 4 November, to elect councillors who will govern their towns and cities for the next five years. With over 29 million registered voters and 136 790 candidates contesting 10 526 council seats across 257 municipalities, this election will shape local service delivery from water and electricity to refuse removal and sanitation.

Here’s what you need to know before casting your ballot.

What are you voting for?

Local government elections differ significantly from national elections. Instead of electing Members of Parliament, voters choose councillors to serve on municipal councils that govern cities, towns and rural areas.

The number of ballot papers you receive depends on where you live.

If you live in a metropolitan municipality (such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, eThekwini, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City or Mangaung), you will receive two ballot papers. One ballot elects a ward councillor to represent your specific area, and the second ballot is for a political party to fill proportional representation (PR) seats on the metropolitan council.

If you live in a local municipality, you will receive three ballot papers. The first elects your ward councillor, the second chooses party representatives for your local council through PR, and the third selects party representatives for the district council. Only 40% of district council representatives are elected directly through this ballot – the remaining 60% are appointed by local councils within the district after the election.

Metropolitan and local councils are structured with approximately half the seats filled by ward councillors and half by PR councillors. This mixed system gives voters a direct representative for their area while ensuring parties are represented according to their overall support.

How does this differ from national elections?

National and provincial elections use a proportional representation system where voters cast ballots for political parties, and seats are allocated based on vote share. Councillors are selected from party lists rather than competing individually for wards.

Voters in the national elections receive three ballot papers – one for the National Assembly, one regional ballot for National Assembly candidates in their province, and one for the provincial legislature. Independent candidates were allowed to contest national elections for the first time under reforms introduced in 2023.

Local elections combine proportional representation with direct ward contests, where individual candidates – representing parties or running as independents – compete head-to-head. The candidate with the most votes wins the ward seat.

National and provincial elections occur every five years, with the next general election scheduled for 2029. Local government elections also take place every five years, separately from national polls.

Political parties in the race

A total of 732 political parties registered for the 2026 Local Government Elections, with 546 parties – 75% of the registered total – contesting seats across the country.

The breakdown by registration level shows 345 parties registered nationally (227 contesting), 36 provincial parties (33 contesting), 61 metropolitan parties (49 contesting), and 290 district parties (237 contesting). Parties can hold registration at multiple levels, so these figures do not represent unique parties.

National registration allows a party to contest elections anywhere in South Africa, while provincial, district and metropolitan registration restricts parties to specific jurisdictions. Registered parties may contest both ward and proportional representation elections, while independent candidates may only contest ward elections.

The candidate field includes 136 790 certified candidates contesting seats across eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities. Of these, 43 098 are contesting metro council seats, 6 443 district council seats, and 87 249 local council seats.

Who can vote?

South Africa’s voter roll stood at 29 230 808 registered voters as of September, according to the Electoral Commission (IEC). Women make up 55.27% of the electorate (16 155 730), while men account for 44.73% (13 075 078).

Women outnumber men in every age group. The largest demographic is women aged 30–39, totalling 3 656 909 voters (12.51% of the roll). The 30–39 age bracket overall represents the largest group, with 6 775 584 voters (23.18%), followed by the 40–49 age group with 6 317 631 voters (21.61%).

Voters aged 18–19 make up 2.37% of the roll (693 913), while those aged 20–29 account for 16.55% (4 838 960). Senior voters aged 70 and above represent 8.38% of registered voters (2 451 526).

Provincially, Gauteng holds the largest share with 6 751 064 registered voters (23.10%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 6 030 969 voters (20.63%). Together, these two provinces account for 43.73% of the national roll. The Western Cape has 3 457 253 registered voters (11.83%), the Eastern Cape 3 628 934 (12.41%), and Limpopo 3 037 387 (10.39%). The Northern Cape has the smallest electorate with 713 869 registered voters (2.44%).

The voter roll has grown by approximately 2.1 million voters since the 2024 national election, while about 884 000 voters have been removed, mainly due to mortality. The August 2026 registration weekend recorded 1 794 051 transactions, including 291 806 new registrations.

Mayoral contests: indirect elections

Voters do not directly elect mayors on 4 November. Instead, they elect councillors to municipal councils, which then elect mayors and other office-bearers after the councils are constituted.

The eight metropolitan municipalities are considered the most prominent mayoral contests, as control of these councils determines who becomes mayor of major cities. These metros are Buffalo City, City of Cape Town, City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Mangaung and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Mayors are also elected in the 205 local municipalities and 44 district municipalities, meaning 257 mayoral positions will be filled indirectly through council votes after the election results are finalised.

What do councillors do?

Councillors are elected members of municipal councils – the bodies that exercise a municipality’s executive and legislative authority. Under the Municipal Systems Act, councils must use municipal resources in the community’s best interests, provide democratic and accountable government, encourage community involvement, and pursue financially and environmentally sustainable services.

Councillors serve as the bridge between residents and municipal administration. Their core responsibilities include representing communities and wards, remaining visible and accessible to residents, participating in council decisions, voting on budgets and by-laws, exercising oversight over the municipal executive, and electing office-bearers.

Ward councillors represent specific geographic areas and are directly accountable to residents in their wards. PR councillors represent their political parties and contribute to overall council governance and policy-making.

Councils adopt by-laws, approve budgets, levy property rates and other charges, set policy priorities and oversee service delivery. The council as a whole exercises executive and legislative authority, though it may delegate certain powers.

Office-bearers have specific additional responsibilities. The speaker presides over council meetings and performs delegated powers. The executive mayor or mayor leads the municipality’s executive political structure. Executive or mayoral committee members carry portfolio responsibilities, while whips perform political coordination functions. Section 79 committee chairpersons lead oversight or other committees established under the Municipal Structures Act.

Councillors are not municipal employees. The municipal administration, headed by the municipal manager, implements council decisions, while councillors provide political direction, representation and oversight.

How much are councillors paid?

Councillor salaries are determined by a framework of upper limits published in Government Gazette 54179 in February. Actual pay depends on the municipality’s grade, whether the position is full-time or part-time, the office held, council affordability and approval by the provincial MEC for local government.

Municipalities are graded from one to six based on total municipal income and population. The grades determine salary caps, which are total remuneration packages including specified components such as travel allowances, housing allowances and pension contributions.

For full-time councillors in 2025/26, a grade-six executive mayor or mayor may earn up to R1 650 039 annually, while a grade-one executive mayor or mayor is capped at R919 541. Speakers, deputy mayors and other office-bearers have lower caps. A grade-six speaker may earn up to R1 332 597, while ordinary full-time councillors’ salaries vary by grade and committee roles.

Part-time councillors earn less, with a grade-six executive mayor or mayor capped at R924 909 and ordinary part-time members in grade-six municipalities limited to R617 948. Grade-one part-time members who hold no special office are capped at R290 653.

Additional benefits include cell-phone allowances (capped at R3 600 per month), mobile data allowances (capped at R317 per month), reimbursement for reasonable official out-of-pocket expenses, pension contributions, medical benefits, special-risk cover for civil unrest or public disorder, and capacity-building support.

Councillors must comply with the statutory Code of Conduct, including obligations on meeting attendance, disclosure of interests, personal gain and use of council property.

Voting practicalities

Voting stations will be open from 07:00 to 21:00 on Wednesday, 4 November. Voters must bring one of the following original documents: a green bar-coded South African ID book, a South African smart ID card, or a valid Temporary Identity Certificate.

You must vote at the voting station in the voting district where you are registered. Check your registration details through the IEC website, WhatsApp at 0600 88 0000, SMS to 32810, or the IEC contact centre at 0800 11 8000.

Special votes for voters unable to attend their voting station on election day are conducted on 2 and 3 November from 08:00 to 17:00. Applications for special votes closed on 12 October. Special votes are available for voters who cannot travel due to physical infirmity, disability, illness or pregnancy (through home visits), or for those who can travel but cannot attend on election day due to work or other commitments (by voting early at their registered station).

The voting process involves verification of identity and registration, marking of the voter’s thumbnail with indelible ink, issuing ballot papers, marking ballots in secret, and placing ballots in sealed boxes.

After voting stations close at 21:00, counting begins immediately under the supervision of party agents and observers. The IEC will announce results progressively as counts are completed and audited.

Why local elections matter

Municipal councils control essential services that affect daily life – water supply, electricity distribution, sewerage, sanitation, refuse removal, municipal roads, street lighting and municipal health services. The quality and reliability of these services depend on the councillors residents elect and the municipal administrations they oversee.

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Local government is where citizens experience government most directly. Elected councillors make decisions on property rates, service tariffs, land-use planning, local economic development and community facilities. The 4 November election determines who will govern municipalities and deliver these services for the next five years.

With less than two weeks remaining until election day, voters are encouraged to confirm their registration details, understand what they are voting for based on their municipality type, research candidates and parties in their area, and ensure they have valid identification documents ready.

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