Deputy Chief Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission of South Africa Masego Sheburi
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Friday said the upcoming local government elections will be conducted in what is described as the most challenging and tough pre-electoral climate observed over the last 30 years.
The electoral body said this was based on conclusions reached by the face-to-face survey conducted between October 2025 and February 2026.
The elections will be held on November 4 and parties and independent candidates will contest 10,439 seats in 214 municipalities.
Briefing the joint meeting of three parliamentary committees, deputy chief electoral officer Masego Sheburi said the survey and research told them that there was widespread disillusionment with political leadership, decline in confidence in core political institutions and dissatisfaction with the way democracy is functioning.
