The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says 142 072 candidates have been nominated to contest 10 526 council seats in the 2026 Local Government Elections, marking a significant increase in participation compared with the previous local government polls.
IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced the preliminary figures during a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday, following the close of the statutory nomination period at 5pm on Friday, 28 August 2026.
Moepya said the Commission’s immediate priority is to assess the nominations to ensure they comply with the relevant legislative requirements.
This includes verifying that candidates have completed their acceptance of nomination forms, that political parties and independent candidates have paid the required deposits, and that independent candidates have submitted details of registered voters supporting their nominations.
The IEC is expected to publish the final list of candidates on 16 September 2026.
Political party and independent nominations
According to preliminary figures, 299 political parties and 127 independent candidates submitted nominations through the Online Candidate Nomination System.
A further 205 political parties and 634 independent candidates submitted nominations manually at IEC offices across the country.
Of the total 142 072 candidates:
-40 241 were nominated by political parties for Proportional Representation (PR) seats.
-100 856 were nominated by political parties for ward seats.
-975 independent candidates were nominated for ward seats.
The number represents an increase of about 43% compared with the 99 000 nominations received for the 2021 Local Government Elections.
Candidate profile
Candidates aged between 36 and 55 account for 58% of all nominations, with the 41–45 age group representing the largest share at 16%.
Men make up nearly two-thirds of all candidates, while women account for about 38%.
Women represent 44% of candidates on PR lists, compared with 56% for men. In ward elections, men account for 65% of candidates and women 35%.
Municipalities with the most PR contestants
The City of Johannesburg has the highest number of political parties contesting PR seats, with 80 parties.
It is followed by:
*City of Tshwane – 72 parties
*eThekwini – 70
*Ekurhuleni – 69
*City of Cape Town – 55
*Emfuleni – 43
*Polokwane – 40
*Rustenburg – 38
*Nelson Mandela Bay – 38
*Capricorn District – 38
2 274 nominations missed the deadline
The IEC said 2 274 candidate names were captured on the online nomination system but were not formally submitted before the 5pm deadline on 28 August.
These included 480 potential PR candidates and 1 794 potential ward candidates linked to 45 political parties.
Moepya said the Commission considers these candidates not to have been formally submitted and therefore they are not currently in contention for the elections.
Political party participation
The preliminary figures indicate strong participation among registered political parties.
At national level, 227 of the 345 registered parties have nominated candidates, representing 66% participation.
At provincial level, 33 of the 36 registered parties are contesting, representing 92%.
At metropolitan level, 49 of 61 registered parties are contesting, representing 80%.
At district level, 237 of 290 registered parties are contesting, representing 82%.
The IEC will now complete its verification process before publishing the final candidate lists on 16 September.
Moepya also reminded all nominated candidates of their legal obligation to comply with the Electoral Code of Conduct as the electoral process progresses.
IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced the preliminary figures during a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday, following the close of the statutory nomination period at 5pm on Friday, 28 August 2026.
Moepya said the Commission’s immediate priority is to assess the nominations to ensure they comply with the relevant legislative requirements.
This includes verifying that candidates have completed their acceptance of nomination forms, that political parties and independent candidates have paid the required deposits, and that independent candidates have submitted details of registered voters supporting their nominations.
The IEC is expected to publish the final list of candidates on 16 September 2026.
Political party and independent nominations
According to preliminary figures, 299 political parties and 127 independent candidates submitted nominations through the Online Candidate Nomination System.
A further 205 political parties and 634 independent candidates submitted nominations manually at IEC offices across the country.
Of the total 142 072 candidates:
-40 241 were nominated by political parties for Proportional Representation (PR) seats.
-100 856 were nominated by political parties for ward seats.
-975 independent candidates were nominated for ward seats.
The number represents an increase of about 43% compared with the 99 000 nominations received for the 2021 Local Government Elections.
Candidate profile
Candidates aged between 36 and 55 account for 58% of all nominations, with the 41–45 age group representing the largest share at 16%.
Men make up nearly two-thirds of all candidates, while women account for about 38%.
Women represent 44% of candidates on PR lists, compared with 56% for men. In ward elections, men account for 65% of candidates and women 35%.
Municipalities with the most PR contestants
The City of Johannesburg has the highest number of political parties contesting PR seats, with 80 parties.
It is followed by:
*City of Tshwane – 72 parties
*eThekwini – 70
*Ekurhuleni – 69
*City of Cape Town – 55
*Emfuleni – 43
*Polokwane – 40
*Rustenburg – 38
*Nelson Mandela Bay – 38
*Capricorn District – 38
2 274 nominations missed the deadline
The IEC said 2 274 candidate names were captured on the online nomination system but were not formally submitted before the 5pm deadline on 28 August.
These included 480 potential PR candidates and 1 794 potential ward candidates linked to 45 political parties.
Moepya said the Commission considers these candidates not to have been formally submitted and therefore they are not currently in contention for the elections.
Political party participation
The preliminary figures indicate strong participation among registered political parties.
At national level, 227 of the 345 registered parties have nominated candidates, representing 66% participation.
At provincial level, 33 of the 36 registered parties are contesting, representing 92%.
At metropolitan level, 49 of 61 registered parties are contesting, representing 80%.
At district level, 237 of 290 registered parties are contesting, representing 82%.
The IEC will now complete its verification process before publishing the final candidate lists on 16 September.
Moepya also reminded all nominated candidates of their legal obligation to comply with the Electoral Code of Conduct as the electoral process progresses.
