By Zuko Komisa

- Special voting for South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections is currently underway across the country, spanning both home visits and designated voting stations over Monday and Tuesday.
- Over 2.65 million registered citizens have been approved to cast early ballots, with women comprising the clear majority across both voting categories.
- Electoral Commission Chief Sy Mamabolo will host a national media briefing at 1 pm from the Midrand National Operations Centre to report on initial progress.
Special voting for the 2026 Local Government Elections commenced across South Africa today, providing an essential inclusivity mechanism for registered voters unable to participate on official election day.
The process caters specifically to citizens with physical infirmities or disabilities, as well as those unable to attend their local ward voting stations during the main poll.
Electoral officials will administer ballots between 8 am and 5 pm on both Monday and Tuesday.
In total, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has approved 2,655,067 special votes across two distinct categories: home visits and station-based voting.
Home visits account for 678,525 voters, a group predominantly comprising women (74%), with KwaZulu-Natal recording the highest volume of home requests at 143,714.
Meanwhile, 1,976,542 individuals are approved to vote at their registered polling stations, led by Gauteng with 391,589 approvals.
The IEC has reminded station-approved voters to report to their designated venues during the specified hours on 2 or 3 November. Simultaneously, officials urge home-visit voters to remain at their registered addresses throughout both days until mobile electoral teams arrive to assist them.
Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo will deliver an official status update on the first day’s proceedings at 1 pm from the National Operations Centre in Midrand.
READ NEXT