EXPLAINERNation Watch Explains

How local government works: a Vaal guide to the 2026 elections and after

South Africans vote for municipal councils on Wednesday 4 November 2026. This series explains, in plain language, how your vote becomes council seats, what councils do, who runs them and how to hold them to account, using Emfuleni and Sedibeng as worked examples.

By Staff Reporter · Published 4 November 2026, 16:30

Pretoria City Hall's clock tower and dome behind statues on a paved square — File photo: Pretoria City Hall, seat of the City of Tshwane's council (2006). Illustrative: not an Emfuleni or Sedibeng building. Photo: Joonas Lyytinen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5.

As at 4 November 2026.

Start here

Voting day is Wednesday 4 November 2026, from 07:00 to 21:00. You may vote only at the voting station where you are registered.^1,2
Bring your ID. That means a smart ID card, a green barcoded ID book or a valid temporary identity certificate.²
What is at stake: 10,526 council seats in 257 municipalities. The IEC has certified 136,790 candidates to contest them.³
Why now: the current councils’ five-year term expired on 1 November 2026.⁴

Before you vote

Ward, PR and district ballots: how your vote becomes seats. Covers the three ballots Vaal voters receive, what to bring, special votes, and how seats are calculated, with a worked example.

The basics

Metros, districts and local municipalities explained (coming soon). Why Emfuleni and Sedibeng both serve you, and how their councils are made up.
Who does what: water, power, roads, refuse, housing and policing (coming soon). What the Constitution gives councils, what it gives provinces and national government, and how that has played out in Emfuleni.

After the vote

Hung councils and coalitions explained (coming soon). What happens when no party wins a majority, and what the Coalitions Bill before Parliament would change.
Mayor, speaker, whip and municipal manager explained (coming soon). Who is elected when, what each role does, and the 14-day deadlines.
Ward and PR councillors: what yours can and can’t do (coming soon). The Code of Conduct, quarterly report-backs and ward committees.

Money and accountability

Emfuleni’s money: budgets, audits and section 139 (coming soon). The equitable share, the budget cycle, four qualified audits and a recovery plan in place since 2018.
How to hold your council to account (coming soon). Petitions, budget comment, Code of Conduct complaints, the Public Protector, SALGA and standing as an independent.

Key dates

Date	What happens
7 August 2026	Election date proclaimed; voters’ roll closed⁵
2–3 November 2026	Special votes cast²
4 November 2026	Voting day, 07:00–21:00¹
Within 7 days of voting	The IEC must declare the results⁶
Within 14 days of the declaration	New councils hold their first meeting and elect a speaker⁷
Within 14 days of the council’s election	An executive mayor is elected, where the council has one⁷
Within 120 days of the election	Ward committees are established⁸

What it means for Vaal voters

Most Vaal voters live in a local municipality: Emfuleni, Midvaal or Lesedi in Sedibeng, or Metsimaholo in Fezile Dabi. They will get three ballots: one for their ward councillor, one for a party on the local council and one for a party on the district council.^9,10

Sources

Local Government Elections 2026 (event page), Electoral Commission of South Africa
Electoral Commission ready for successful Special Voting and Election Days, 2 to 4 November 2026, Electoral Commission (1 November 2026)
Electoral Commission certifies 136 790 candidates to contest the 2026 Local Government Elections, Electoral Commission via gov.za (September 2026)
Ward boundaries finalised ahead of local elections, SAnews (11 December 2025)
Electoral Commission publishes the 2026 LGE Election Timetable, Electoral Commission (7 August 2026)
Electoral Commission Act 51 of 1996, section 5(1)(n), gov.za
Local Government: Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998 (consolidated to 1 November 2022), sections 29, 36 and 55, LawLibrary
Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Act 3 of 2021, section 28 (amending section 73), Government Gazette 44647, gov.za (1 June 2021)
Emfuleni Local Municipality IDP Executive Summary 2025/26, Emfuleni Local Municipality (June 2025)
2026 Municipal Elections Observer Handbook, Electoral Commission, pp 16–17

Forecasts mentioned

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