Early Nomination Preparations
Political parties and independent candidates are already getting ready for the 2026 Local Government Elections. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has switched on its Online Candidate Nomination System (OCNS) to help them fill in candidate details before the official nomination period opens.
Online Candidate Nomination System
The OCNS lets parties and hopeful independents enter information about their candidates online. IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said the system was activated to make the nomination process smoother and more accessible.
Numbers Using the System
So far, 76 political parties and 39 independent candidates have started using the OCNS. This early activity shows that many groups are keen to get their paperwork done ahead of time.
Training Across Provinces
To make sure everyone knows how to use the new system, the IEC ran nationwide training sessions.
- 238 political parties and independent‑candidate hopefuls attended the workshops.
- The training covered all nine provinces, ensuring that participants from urban and rural areas received the same guidance.
The goal was to prepare contestants for the electronic nomination process once the official window opens.
Voter Registration Weekend Preparations
While parties work on nominations, the IEC is also finalising plans for the final voter registration weekend.
Voting Stations Numbers
A total of 23,699 voting stations will be open on 1 and 2 August. The number was adjusted from 23,706 after the IEC optimised station layouts based on voter activity from the first registration weekend.
Provincial breakdown:
- KwaZulu‑Natal – 5,029 stations
- Eastern Cape – 4,979 stations
- Limpopo – 3,315 stations
- Gauteng – 2,834 stations
- Mpumalanga – 1,769 stations
- North West – 1,678 stations
- Western Cape – 1,623 stations
- Free State – 1,604 stations
- Northern Cape – 739 stations
Electoral Officials Deployment
About 48,212 trained electoral officials will be stationed across the country to help voters register, update their details, and verify their information.
Online Voter Registration Trends
The IEC’s data‑free Online Voter Registration Portal continues to be popular. Since the first registration weekend in June, more than 815,000 voter‑registration transactions have been recorded online.
- Roughly 603,572 of those—about 74 %—were completed through the portal.
Highlights:
- Gauteng, KwaZulu‑Natal, and the Western Cape saw the most online activity.
- Women made up 61 % of the online registrations.
- Young people aged 16‑29 accounted for 50 % of all online transactions, with over half of those being new registrations.
Mamabolo noted that the strong youth participation shows how digital tools can boost electoral engagement.
Disinformation Code of Conduct
The IEC is also wrapping up work on a Disinformation Code of Conduct. Public submissions closed on 29 July 2026, and the Commission will soon finalise and publish the code to help curb false information during the election period.
Conclusion
With the nomination system already in use, training completed across the country, and voter‑registration logistics falling into place, South Africa is setting the stage for a smooth 2026 Local Government Election. The IEC’s focus on digital tools—both for candidate nominations and voter registration—aims to make participation easier, especially for young people and women. As the final registration weekend approaches, officials are ready to assist voters, and the upcoming disinformation code will help keep the campaign conversation truthful and transparent.
