South Africans join long queues to make their mark in the 2026 local government elections

South Africans have joined long queues to vote in the 2026 local government elections on Wednesday, 4 November 2026.

These elections are expected to be hotly contested as South Africans are tired of corruption, mismanagement, and poor service delivery.

The political battles are especially fierce in South Africa’s largest cities, where the DA is expected to dominate.

The chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), Mosotho Moepya, briefed the country on the elections.

He said there may be no campaigning at voting stations and that political candidates and parties are prohibited from campaigning within voting station boundaries.

This includes displaying campaign posters and billboards, or attempting to influence voters to support or oppose a particular candidate or party.

“That means no posters, pamphlets or party regalia, and nobody trying to influence or pressure you,” he said.

He added that marches are strictly prohibited across the Republic on Election Day as they can influence objective voting.

“When you walk into a voting station, you should be able to make your choice in peace,” Moepya said.

However, people may still get an SMS from a party, and they may see party tables outside the voting station, which are allowed.

He also assured voters that there was no reason to panic if they were still waiting in queues at closing time.

“Those who are still in the queue when voting stations close at 21h00 will be assisted and allowed to cast their votes,” he said.

He urged people to verify their registration details through the IEC’s official channels before heading to their voting station.

Long queues at voting stations in Gauteng

Newsday visited voting stations in Gauteng, where long queues were seen, with thousands of people looking to support their candidates.

There was a strong presence of IEC officials and metro police at the voting stations, and people were calm and relaxed.

The photos below show some of the voting stations on 4 November 2026, with South Africans waiting to vote.