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Icasa’s New 40-Second Rule Could Change How Parties Campaign in 2026
Shorter airtime, tighter rules, and a digital shift ahead of local elections
South Africa’s next municipal elections may sound a little different, quite literally. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has proposed a major change to how political messages reach voters on TV and radio, with fresh rules that could reshape the tone and pace of campaigning in 2026.
Under the new draft regulations, political election broadcasts (PEBs), those short campaign adverts parties use to appeal directly to voters, will shrink from 50 seconds to just 40 seconds.
At first glance, it might seem like a small tweak. But in politics, every second counts.
Why Icasa Is Cutting the Time
Icasa’s reasoning is practical rather than political. The regulator says many broadcasters lose money when political parties fail to use their full airtime during elections. These time slots, which could otherwise be sold to advertisers, often go unused or underused.
The authority also found that, in past elections, most political parties didn’t even use their full 50 seconds for their campaign clips. Cutting that time down to 40 seconds, Icasa says, helps broadcasters manage costs without significantly limiting political expression.
The proposal forms part of Icasa’s Municipal Party Elections Broadcasts and Political Advertisements Regulations 2026, now open for public comment until 9 January 2026.
More Than Just Timing: Tech Takes the Stage
Beyond trimming airtime, Icasa is also pushing to modernise how political adverts are submitted. The regulator wants to allow electronic submission of PEBs and political adverts, letting parties upload their campaign materials online rather than delivering them physically to broadcasters.
Icasa believes this will make things simpler for both sides. Parties get more flexibility; broadcasters face fewer administrative headaches. Physical submissions will still be allowed, but the shift acknowledges South Africa’s growing reliance on digital systems in elections and media.
The regulator also updated technical and quality standards to reflect current technology. In plain terms, that means fewer rejected ads and fewer costly resubmissions for parties that previously struggled to meet broadcast-quality requirements.
How Airtime Will Be Shared
The new regulations outline how political parties and independent candidates will share the available broadcast slots. Every broadcaster must set aside 12 time slots of 40 seconds each per day during the official election period.
Of these slots:
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60% will go to all registered parties and independent candidates contesting the municipal elections.
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The remaining 40% will be split based on representation, with 15% each linked to the number of candidates a party fields at the local and district levels, and 10% tied to proportional representation seats already held.
It’s Icasa’s attempt to balance fairness with practicality, ensuring smaller parties still get heard while giving larger ones airtime proportional to their footprint.
Why It Matters
This might sound like inside baseball, but these rules could significantly influence how South Africans experience political messaging next year. Shorter airtime means parties will need sharper, more focused messaging, the kind that resonates quickly.
For voters, it could mean more concise, less repetitive campaign clips. For political strategists, it’s a call to rethink how to communicate vision and values in under a minute.
As South Africa edges closer to the 2026 local government elections, the playing field is changing, and how politicians use those 40 seconds could say a lot about how connected they are to the people they hope to serve.
Also read: A Lesson in Protocol: Deputy Minister Polly Boshielo Earns Praise for Methodical Parliamentary Testimony
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: BusinessTech
