Ramaphosa Sets SA Local Elections for Nov 4, 2026

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Thursday that South Africa's local government elections will take place on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, during a Presidential Coordinating Council meeting at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.

Ramaphosa, who serves as African National Congress president, selected the midweek date to maximize voter participation. "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," he said. The day is expected to become a public holiday, following precedent from past elections, to give voters time off work.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa will formally gazette the date, launching official campaign periods for political parties. Hlabisa explained the timing avoids the December festive season and January school calendar, providing the earliest feasible option. "The Department of Basic Education will have to plan accordingly so that there is flexibility at the time for the electoral process to unfold," he said.

The elections come five years after the 2021 municipal...