KZN voter turnout reaches 48.7%, above national average of 45.8%
KwaZulu-Natal's turnout beat the national figure, while the IEC says final results will only be announced on Sunday after audits and objections.
About 48.7% of registered voters in KwaZulu-Natal took part in the 2026 Local Government Elections, according to the provincial office of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). That is higher than the national turnout of 45.8%, SAnews reported.
Provincial Electoral Officer Ntombifuthi Masinga addressed the media on Thursday, after voting stations closed on Wednesday night. She said the commission was happy with the result, though it had hoped the province would pass 50%. She also thanked those who voted.
Why results are still trickling in
Masinga said that when she spoke, only 18% of results in the province had been captured on the IEC system, and 12% had been through the audit stage.
She explained that the audit is an essential safeguard. An independent firm of auditors checks that what is on the commission’s system matches what was recorded at each voting station. A result does not appear on the IEC dashboard until that check is done.
She added that political parties may seem to be ahead of the IEC in announcing figures. Their agents are urged to photograph result slips at the stations and send them to the party’s own collation centre. The IEC, however, must have results audited before they are published.
Objections and the road to final results
Parties and independent candidates have until 5pm on Friday to lodge objections under Section 65 of the Electoral Act. Masinga said an objection can concern any part of the process where a party or candidate believes results from a specific voting station may have been compromised.
The IEC has brought in a group of legal practitioners to help it investigate the objections it receives before the deadline. The final results will be announced on Sunday, once all objections have been considered and resolved.
After that, the results must be published in the Government Gazette within seven days of polling day. Councils must then elect their office-bearers, including mayors and speakers, as well as representatives to district councils, within 14 days of the results being published.
What this means for you
- Figures shared by parties are not the official results. Only audited results appear on the IEC dashboard.
- Friday at 5pm is the deadline for objections.
- The final results are expected on Sunday.
- Mayors and speakers should be chosen within 14 days of the results being gazetted.
This story is based on reporting by SAnews.
