Emfuleni elections 2026: the Vereeniging wards to watch

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

Vereeniging votes on Wednesday 4 November 2026, from 07:00 to 21:00.¹ It is home to two of the DA’s safest wards in Emfuleni, and to two of the closest contests in the municipality in 2021. 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 1, 16 and 45 are unchanged for 2026. Ward 15 and Ward 21 have been redrawn, so their 2026 results will not compare directly with 2021.²

Safe: Three Rivers and Unitas Park

• Ward 1 (Three Rivers, Three Rivers East): the DA won 87.3% of the ward vote, ahead of the FF Plus on 7.5%. The margin was 4,075 votes and turnout was 61.9%, well above the Emfuleni average of 44.3%.^3,4
• Ward 45 (Unitas Park, Sonland Park, Falcon Ridge, Duncanville): the DA took 74.4%, the ANC 10.0% and the FF Plus 7.0%. The margin was 3,310 votes, on a 56.1% turnout.⁵

Swing: Arcon Park and the CBD

• Ward 16 (Arcon Park, Waldrift, Rust-ter-Vaal, Redan): the ANC won with 37.7%, against 34.9% for the DA and 14.1% for the Patriotic Alliance. The margin was 138 votes. In 2016 the DA won this ward with 57.6%.^6,7
• The 2024 by-election in Ward 16 was called after the councillor died. The ANC held the ward with 37.51%, while the Patriotic Alliance came second with 32.61% and the DA third with 26.25%.⁸
• Ward 15 (CBD, Peacehaven, Leeuhof, Powerville): the DA won with 41.3%, ahead of the ANC on 31.6%, a margin of 279 votes. Turnout was 35.3%, down from 47.1% in 2016.^9,10

Slipping: Roshnee

• Ward 21 (Roshnee, Debonair Park, Tshepong, Ironside): the ANC’s share fell from 64.2% in 2016 to 43.4% in 2021. The DA was second with 24.4%, and turnout dropped from 55.5% to 39.7%.^11,12
• Boundaries: the 2026 Ward 21 lies wholly within the old ward, and the rest of the old ward now forms part of the new Ward 39.²

Sharpeville

The ANC won all three Sharpeville wards (12, 13 and 14) in 2021, with 58.4%, 51.7% and 59.6%. The EFF came second in each, with between 15.3% and 17.9%. Turnout ranged from 39.8% to 42.2%.^13,14,15 All three wards have been redrawn for 2026.²

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.¹⁷

Names are from the municipality’s 2025/26 IDP and the reports of the 2024 by-election, and full names from the IEC list.^18,8,17 Ward 21’s councillor, Sipho Radebe, was Emfuleni’s executive mayor from November 2021 until the ANC recalled him on 29 May 2026. He submitted his resignation as mayor on 2 June.^19,20,21 He remains the Ward 21 councillor and has been the mayoral committee member for health and social development since June 2026.^22,23 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):¹⁷

• Ward 16 (34 candidates): ANC Charles Williams; DA Andries Nel; EFF Julian Richard Jacobus Soenies; FF Plus Wilhelmina Jacoba van Niekerk; PAC Busang Joshua Tsotetsi; Patriotic Alliance André Christhy Metlaar.
• Ward 15 (35 candidates): ANC Harry Selelekele Maleka; DA Busisiwe Prudens Hlanyane; EFF Themba Masoka; FF Plus Stephanes Hermanus Kriel; PAC Lindiwe Emily Nhlapo; Patriotic Alliance Christeen Agatha De Koker; ACDP Stanley Walter Maseko.

Some candidates are listed by the IEC in more than one ward.¹⁷