The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has received 197 formal objections following Wednesday’s Local Government Elections, with recounts ordered in five wards as the country awaits the final results.
IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya says the Commission will not compromise its verification and quality assurance processes in an effort to speed up the announcement of the results.
Speaking during a media briefing at the National Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Midrand on Saturday, Moepya urged political parties, independent candidates and the public to exercise patience while the Commission concludes the remaining processes.
He emphasised that provisional results should not be mistaken for final outcomes.
“The Commission urges political parties, independent candidates, the media and members of the public to exercise caution when interpreting partial results, and to rely on officially verified results published by the Commission.”
As of 3pm on Saturday, the IEC had received 197 objections. Of these, 54 had been dismissed, eight withdrawn and two upheld.
The Commission has ordered recounts in five wards:
- Ward 57 and Ward 102 in the City of Tshwane.
- Ward 19 in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.
- Ward 4 in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality.
- Ward 12 in Breede Valley Local Municipality.
One edit window has also been ordered.
The IEC says results remain provisional until all objections that could materially affect the outcome have been determined. Decisions on objections could change the allocation of seats to political parties and candidates.
Under Section 65 of the Municipal Electoral Act, parties and independent candidates can lodge objections relating to voting, counting, alleged unlawful interference with election activities and voter intimidation.
The Commission has clarified that formal objections differ from general complaints and must relate to matters that could materially affect the election outcome.
Meanwhile, results processing has been completed in the Free State, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo.
The outstanding municipalities are Emfuleni, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni in Gauteng; Rustenburg in the North West; and Msunduzi and eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal.
The IEC expects to finalise processing in these municipalities by Saturday evening.
The Commission is scheduled to announce the final 2026 Local Government Elections results on Sunday at 6pm.
