Local Government Elections 2026 Results: When and How to Check Them
Key Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 2 and 3 November 2026 | Special votes (home visits and voting stations) |
| 4 November 2026 | Election day, a public holiday. Voting from 07:00 to 21:00 |
| From the night of 4 November | Counting at voting stations, results start coming in |
| A few days after election day | The IEC announces the final results |
How to Check the Results Online
- Go to the official IEC results website, results.elections.org.za.
- Choose the 2026 local government elections.
- Select your province, then your municipality.
- Open your ward to see the ward councillor results.
- Open the municipality’s results to see how many seats each party won.
You can also look at past results there, including the 2021 local elections, and download results files.
What Do the Results Show?
Local elections choose the councils that run your municipality. There are two kinds of results:
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Ward results | The candidate with the most votes in your ward becomes your ward councillor |
| Party (PR) results | Party votes decide how many extra seats each party gets on the council, so that the council matches the parties’ share of the vote |
In a metro, voters get two ballots. In a local municipality outside a metro, voters get three, including one for the district council. See our election day guide for how voting works.
How Results Are Counted
- Counting starts at each voting station as soon as voting closes.
- Party agents can watch the count.
- The result for each voting station is recorded on a results slip, which is signed and sent to the IEC.
- The IEC captures and checks the results before they appear online.
This is why results come in bit by bit through the night and the next days.
What Is a Hung Council?
A council is “hung” when no party wins more than half of the seats. Parties then have to form a coalition to elect a mayor and run the council. In the 2021 local elections, 66 councils were hung, more than twice as many as in 2016.
Watch Out for Fake Results
Fake results and edited screenshots often spread on WhatsApp and social media during elections. Only trust results from the IEC’s official website and official IEC announcements.
2026 Election Results Questions
When will the 2026 local election results be announced?
Results start coming in on the night of 4 November 2026. In 2021, the IEC announced the final results three days after election day.
Where can I check the 2026 election results?
On the official IEC results website, results.elections.org.za.
Can I see the results for my ward?
Yes. Choose your province, municipality and ward on the IEC results website.
What is a hung municipality?
A council where no party has more than half of the seats, so parties must form a coalition.
How many candidates are standing in 2026?
The IEC confirmed 136,790 candidates, the most ever for a local government election.
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