Ramaphosa sets 4 November as local government election date

The official date for this year’s local government elections has been set for 4 November.

President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg on Thursday.

Although the date has been proclaimed, Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa is expected to formally gazette it soon.

The term of all municipal councils is due to come to an end on 2 November this year.

Legislation requires that local government elections be held within 90 days of the term’s expiry, placing the election window between November and the end of January.

President Ramaphosa has now confirmed the official date, noting that he typically prefers to schedule elections on a Wednesday.

Ramaphosa: “As 2026 is the year in which the local government elections are held, they should be held on a Wednesday, which is the middle of the week, on a date that I now determine as 4 November 2026.”

Meanwhile, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will hold its first voter registration weekend on 20 and 21 June.

The upcoming elections are expected to be hotly contested, with more political parties having registered to run.

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