South Africans voted in municipal elections on Wednesday 4 November 2026. Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (0500-1900 GMT), with results expected on Sunday. Voters queued from early in the morning, with long queues forming around sunrise at the Lawley informal settlement south of Johannesburg, Reuters reports.

What is at stake

Anger over corruption, crime and failing public services threatens to inflict fresh losses on the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC fell below 50% support for the first time in municipal elections in 2021, and opinion polls suggest it could drop below 40% this time. Those figures are poll projections, not results, and no outcome is decided on polling day. Control of Johannesburg, South Africa's commercial hub, will be the largest prize; Democratic Alliance candidate Helen Zille is projected to win the most votes but fall short of a majority.

Turnout

EWN, via The Profiler, reports 29 million people registered across more than 23,000 voting stations. EFF leader Julius Malema cast his vote in Seshego.

Sources: Reuters, South Africa votes in local polls expected to further weaken ANC grip, 4 November 2026; The Profiler, The Brief, 4 November 2026, citing Reuters and EWN.