IEC records 1.7 million registration transactions as voters’ roll grows by 2.1 million since 2024

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) recorded 1.7 million voter registration transactions during the final registration weekend ahead of the 2026 local government elections, and said the voters’ roll has grown by 2.1 million since the 2024 national elections.

What the figures show

IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo told a media briefing on Monday that the two registration drives held in June and August generated nearly 4.7 million interactions with voters and that those drives together added 754,000 new voters to the voters’ roll.

During the final registration weekend on 1 and 2 August, citizens engaged with the IEC either at 23,699 voting stations around the country or via the IEC’s online voter registration portal.

Of the 1.7 million transactions, 291,016 were first-time registrations while about 1.5 million transactions involved already registered voters inspecting or updating their details. The IEC said registration-based applications were the leading form of activity, accounting for 1.5 million of the weekend total.

Provincial and demographic breakdowns

The IEC reported provincial transaction totals as follows: KwaZulu-Natal 427,000; Gauteng 314,000; Eastern Cape 313,000; Limpopo 209,000; Western Cape 134,000; Mpumalanga 133,000; North West 116,000; Free State 97,000; and Northern Cape 47,000.

The online portal contributed 238,000 transactions during the registration weekend, with Gauteng accounting for 86,000 of those online transactions, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

Young voters made up a notable share of activity: people aged 16 to 29 accounted for 485,000 transactions, or 26% of the weekend total. The IEC said 46% of new registrations were from voters under the age of 29. KwaZulu-Natal recorded 137,000 young registrations, followed by the Eastern Cape with 79,000 and Gauteng with 78,000.

Female voters accounted for 1.056 million of the total registration activity, while male voters accounted for 788,000 (about 44%). Of the 291,000 new registrations, the IEC said 50% were female.

New WhatsApp registration channel and next steps

The IEC introduced voter registration and detail updates through WhatsApp ahead of the voters’ roll closing at midnight on 7 August. Mamabolo outlined the platform’s security measures, saying it uses secure identity verification including OTP authentication, ID document upload, address verification and voting station confirmation.

“The platform uses secure identity verification measures including OTP authentication, ID document upload, address verification, and voting station confirmation to protect the integrity of the voters’ roll,” Mamabolo said.

He noted that some voters may be redirected to the IEC’s interactive map to confirm residential addresses and voting stations.

With registration complete, the commission said it will now focus on preparations for Election Day. The formal election timetable will begin once the election date is proclaimed and will set out key deadlines including candidate nominations and certification of the voters’ roll.

The IEC said more than 93 independent candidates and 87 political parties were active on its online candidate nomination system.

The commission thanked Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa for his intention to proclaim the election date on 7 August. The IEC said it would brief the media on Friday on the election timetable, statutory deadlines and milestones leading up to Election Day on 4 November, and that the electoral code of conduct would come into effect on Friday.

How voters can check details

The IEC urged voters to use its SMS service, online platforms or contact centre to check their registration details before the deadline.