12 million South Africans cast ballots by 5pm: IEC

As citizens continue to cast their ballots at their respective voting stations, Electoral Commission (IEC) Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo says preliminary numbers indicate that 12 million people have cast their votes across the country by 5 pm.

Mamabolo says registered voters who are still in line at the cutoff time of 9 pm this evening will be allowed to vote.

The Electoral Commission reported that over 12 million voters have made their mark by 5pm today. #LGE2026 https://t.co/Il5Y7t5YTQ

— SABC News (@SABCNews) November 4, 2026

Mamabolo was briefing the media at the Results Operations Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, on progress made as voting for the local government elections continues.

“Gauteng is recording the highest number of voters at 3 million, followed by KwaZulu-Natal 2.5 million, the Western Cape 1.5 million, the Eastern Cape 1.4 million, Limpopo 1.1 million, Mpumalanga 854 000, the North West 702 000, the Free State 588 000 and lastly the Northern Cape at 299 000.”

IEC media briefing: 04 November 2026: