Emfuleni elections 2026: the Vanderbijlpark wards to watch

Figures are as at 3 November 2026. Ward results are official IEC figures from the 2021 local government elections unless stated.

Vanderbijlpark votes on Wednesday 4 November 2026, from 07:00 to 21:00.¹ In 2021 its south-eastern suburbs were contests between the DA and the FF Plus, while three wards around the town were won by the ANC with less than 40% of the vote.² This piece is part of our guide to the Emfuleni wards to watch.

This story will be updated as IEC results come in.

Ward numbers below are the 2021 wards. Wards 5, 9 and 25 are unchanged for 2026. Wards 3, 4, 6, 10 and 23 have been redrawn, so their 2026 results will not compare directly with 2021.³

Swing: three ANC wards won with less than 40%

• Ward 23 (CW1, Bophelong, Bonanne): the ANC won with 32.7%, against 29.1% for the DA and 17.7% for the FF Plus. The margin was 150 votes, on a 47.8% turnout. In 2016 the ANC took 52.1%.^4,5
• Ward 3 (CE3, Boipatong): the ANC won with 36.0%, against 27.6% for the DA, 16.1% for the EFF and 11.7% for the FF Plus. The margin was 318 votes.⁶
• Ward 25 (Vaal Oewer, Loch Vaal, Noordvaal): the ANC won with 39.4%, against 27.8% for the DA and 21.4% for the FF Plus, a margin of 493 votes.⁷

DA-held: the contest with the FF Plus

• Ward 5 (SE2, SW5, Mantevrede): the DA won with 59.2%, against 36.3% for the FF Plus, on a 68.2% turnout. In 2016 the DA took 85.7% and the FF Plus 8.7%.^8,9
• Ward 9 (SE1, SE7, SW1): the DA won with 54.6%, against 35.9% for the FF Plus. In 2016 the DA took 78.1%.^10,11
• Ward 4 (SE3, SE6, NWU Vaal campus): the DA won with 44.8%, against 30.1% for the FF Plus, a margin of 619 votes.¹²
• Ward 10 (CE5, CW2, CW6): the DA won with 45.2%, against 25.5% for the FF Plus, a margin of 821 votes.¹³

Slipping: Bophelong

• Ward 6 (Bophelong): the ANC’s share fell from 75.8% in 2016 to 45.6% in 2021. The EFF was second with 26.9%, and the margin was 698 votes.^14,15
• Nearby: the ANC won Ward 7 with 46.0% and Ward 8 with 43.4%. The DA was second in both.^16,17

Who represents these wards

The table names the councillor holding each ward now, and whether that person appears on the IEC’s certified 2026 candidate list for Emfuleni.²²

Names are from the municipality’s 2025/26 IDP, and full names from the IEC list. Where only initials are confirmed, we give initials. The IDP spells the Ward 23 councillor’s names as Regina Makgala Lesaoana.^23,22 We searched the IEC’s certified 2026 candidate lists for all provinces by surname and found no entry for the councillors marked “not on the 2026 lists”.²⁴

Main candidates in the closest wards (parties with seats on the outgoing council):²²

• Ward 23 (37 candidates): ANC Phutheho Joseph Mofokeng; DA Gugulethu Tshwane; EFF Nzemeni John Ndise; FF Plus Dawid Hermanus Geldenhuys; PAC Makhosini Paulus Themba Vilakazi; Patriotic Alliance Nthabiseng Jacqueline Ramaditse; ACDP Makgokodi Elisa Banda.
• Ward 3 (35 candidates): ANC Thenjiwe Chakala; DA Lephethesang Price Moeketsi; EFF Mmoto Mochadibane; FF Plus Johan Cronje; PAC Kamohelo Desiree Sehloho; Patriotic Alliance Nomonde Hilda Sizane.
• Ward 25 (36 candidates): ANC Lesedi Masango; DA Tebello Abram Mokoena; EFF Tshepang Frikkie Bham; FF Plus Heinrich van der Lith; PAC Nhlanhla Shadrack Ndaba; Patriotic Alliance Grace Mantoa Mkhwanazi; ACDP Mamokhailane Edith Mamutsi.

Some candidates are listed by the IEC in more than one ward.²²