Local government elections · eight metros
2026 local elections
How did each metro and ward vote, and who has the seats on the council?
4 Nov 2026
is election day. Results will appear here, ward by ward, as the Electoral Commission (IEC) publishes them.
Official: Electoral Commission (IEC)
The 2026 elections use new ward boundaries from the Municipal Demarcation Board. Until results come in, every 2026 ward page shows its places and how its voting districts voted in the 2021 local elections and the 2024 national election. Find your ward, or pick a metro:
- Johannesburg 135 wards
- Tshwane 107 wards
- Ekurhuleni 112 wards
- Cape Town 118 wards
- eThekwini 112 wards
- Nelson Mandela Bay 60 wards
- Buffalo City 50 wards
- Mangaung 51 wards
On results day this page will show, for each metro: the share of the party (PR) vote, turnout, how many voting districts have been counted, and, once the IEC publishes its seat calculation, how many council seats each party won.
Ward by-elections since 2021
Official: Electoral Commission (IEC) · Data as of by-elections to 24 Jun 2026 · Updates: IEC publishes after each by-election · Last updated
79 ward by-elections in the eight metros since the 2021 local elections. Each metro’s page lists them, with the party that won the ward in 2021 and in the by-election, as the IEC reports them.
| Metro | By-elections | Latest |
|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg | 15 | 25 Feb 2026 |
| Tshwane | 14 | 21 Jan 2026 |
| Ekurhuleni | 4 | 10 Dec 2025 |
| Cape Town | 11 | 25 Mar 2026 |
| eThekwini | 14 | 17 Sep 2025 |
| Nelson Mandela Bay | 7 | 6 Aug 2025 |
| Buffalo City | 5 | 17 Jun 2026 |
| Mangaung | 9 | 11 Sep 2024 |
Wards are 2021 boundaries. Turnout is the IEC’s “% poll”. By-elections usually draw a lower turnout than general elections. Source: IEC municipal by-election comparison reports (all reports); the date links to that day’s report.