IEC reports 12 million votes cast by 5pm

The Electoral Commission of South Africa said about 12 million people had voted by 5pm Wednesday in the 2026 local government elections, a preliminary count equal to approximately 41.1% of the 29.2 million registered voters. Voting was scheduled to close at 9pm, with counting to begin after polling stations closed. Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said voters who were in a queue at their registered station by 9pm would be allowed to cast their ballots, even if voting continued beyond the scheduled closing time. He urged those who had not yet voted to go to their stations before the deadline. The IEC’s preliminary provincial figures put Gauteng highest, with about 3 million voters. KwaZulu-Natal had 2.5 million, followed by the Western Cape with 1.5 million and the Eastern Cape with 1.4 million. Limpopo recorded 1.1 million, Mpumalanga about 854,000, North West 702,000, the Free State 588,000 and the Northern Cape about 299,000. The commission did not clarify at the briefing whether the 12 million figure included 1,425,942 people who cast special votes on November 2 and 3. The total was preliminary, and final turnout figures were not yet available. The 2026 election had 29.2...