The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced that voter registration for the local government elections will be held on the weekend of 20 and 21 June.
This was revealed by the IEC Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, during a media briefing in Centurion.
According to Mamabolo, the aim of the registration weekend is to facilitate access to franchise and broaden electoral participation.
“The timing of this registration weekend aligns with the current planning assumption, namely, that the Commission must stand ready to administer elections whenever, they are lawfully called.
This alignment ensures procedural certainty, operational readiness and full compliance with the legal framework,” said Mamabolo.
Furthermore, Mamabolo has sought to remind eligible voters, to register where they ordinarily reside, and once the election date has been announced, they must vote where they are registered.
“Following the completion of the process of voter registration, we anticipate the proclamation of the election date by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Once the election date is proclaimed, eligible voters will have until midnight on that same day to register to vote.
The proclamation of the election date will formally trigger the performance of activities that underpin the election timetable,” explained Mamabolo.
The commission says it is hoping that the minister will announce the date of the elections early, to allow South Africans to decide where they will be on voting day.
“For instance, a student studying in one province but ordinarily residing in another, must know whether they will be on campus or at home when the country votes.
That clarity ensures they register correctly and avoids unnecessary administrative complications closer to election day.
In a local government election, there is no legal facility to vote outside of the voting station of registration,” stressed the CEO.
Meanwhile, the IEC says it continues to observe a steady increase in the number of South Africans utilising the online self-registration platform.
Mamabolo said more citizens are also taking advantage of their outreach initiatives to register and update their details.
“The nationwide Online Voter Registration Campaign is starting to bear fruit.
Between November 2025 and March 2026, a total of 260 205 new registrations were recorded.
Of these, 128 113 voters registered through our Voter Management Devices (VMDs), while 132 092 registered via the online self-service portal,” remarked Mamabolo.
Mamabolo attributed the increase to the Online Registration Campaign, which encouraged citizens to register, update and verify their details remotely.
The IEC highlighted that it has seen an increase in the number of political parties, registering with the commission.
“Currently, the total number of registered political parties is 508.
Twenty new parties were registered in the period between October 2025 and February 2026.
Of these, 299 are registered on a national level, while the balance of 209 are either registered on a provincial, district or metropolitan municipality level,” added Mamabolo.
