PRETORIA: The Electoral Commission (IEC) announced it was forging ahead for the 2026 local government elections, benchmarking on progress made during the 2024 national and provincial elections (NPE). The Election Report provides a full assessment of the Commission’s work, successes, challenges and the circumstances under which the 2024 elections were held.
The report was tabled on Tuesday, 15 July, to the National Assembly as represented by the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs.
Mosotho Moepya, chairperson of the IEC, stated that while no election is perfect, the elections for 2024 were ultimately free and fair. According to him, the process met both constitutional standards and international thresholds for credible elections.
Moepya highlighted that the 2024 elections demonstrated the resilience of South Africa’s electoral democracy, with over 16.2 million citizens participating in what were among the most peaceful elections since democracy.
“The 2024 NPE was by far the most highly contested of South Africa’s elections, with an overall 70 political parties, 11 of which were independent candidates, and 52 national parties. To put this into perspective, 14 886 candidates were vying for 887 seats in the national and provincial legislatures,” said Moepya.
Strides made by the IEC during the past local government elections include the following:
■ Successfully added 1,2 million citizens to the voters’ roll, bringing the total of registered voters to a historic 27,7 million citizens for the first time.
The Commission stated that of the new registrations, 77% were under the age of 29 entering the voters’ roll for the first time.
According to the organisation, the online voter registration system continues to be the mainstay platform for offering convenience to voters. Evidence thereof is their managing to record over 2,4 million transactions, including citizens registering as voters from outside of the country.
■ Increased the number of voting stations and points of service to 23 300, thus reducing the average number of voters per district from 1 900 to 916.
■ Implemented at short notice a revised electoral system facilitating the participation of independent persons for the first time as candidates in national and provincial elections.
“A total of 14 886 candidates were successfully nominated to contest the 887 seats in the National Assembly and the nine provincial legislatures,” stated the commission.
The commission recorded a decline in the proportion of spoilt ballots – from 1,27% in 2019 to 1,10% in 2024. It printed 90 million ballots to facilitate the elections.
The commission said over 1,1 million voters voted by way of special vote either at home or at a voting station. Of these, 39 114 were South Africans who voted in any of the 110 South Africa missions abroad.
The process ensured independent voting for visually impaired voters through the Universal Ballot Template (UBT).
“The template enables these voters to vote without revealing their choice to electoral staff,” the commission said.
■ Eliminated attempts at so-called double-voting, with no reports of persons being able to vote more times than they were entitled. This was because of the amendment effected by Parliament in 2021, to make voting outside the voting district at which a voter is registered, only available on pre-notification (Section 24A voting).
■ Ultimately, enabled the electoral participation of 16,2 million registered voters in NPE 2024, resulting in a voter turnout of 58,6%, a decrease from 65,99% in 2019, and 73,48% in 2014.
Moepya stated that having 70 political parties, 11 independent candidates, and 52 national parties presented challenge to the commission.
“Such heightened contestation brought challenges of its own, such as attacks on the commission, coupled with misinformation and disinformation campaigns aimed at tarnishing the image of the organisation.
“The commission and some of its staff were targeted in cyberattacks and harassment on social media,” said Moepya.
