Election 2026: Absurd number of candidates risk make voting chaotic

The 2026 local government elections are turning into even bigger games of musical chairs than in  previous years.

The Electoral Commission of SA, which still goes by its old abbreviation of IEC, announced that 136 790 candidates are contesting the elections for 10 526 available seats.

Read:
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On average, there are 13 people vying for each seat.

Not all seats are equally contested, with many more candidates standing in some wards.

The IEC notes in a recent statement that Ward 18 in the south Johannesburg, which includes the suburbs of Eldorado Park and Klipspruit, has 63 politicians fighting for the single seat of ward councillor. There are even more hopeful politicians chasing the same votes in the ward as proportional representatives.

“An unprecedented 136 790 candidates have satisfied the statutory requirements to contest seats across the eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities throughout the country,” according to the statement.

“Of the 136 790 candidates, 98 219 are nominated by parties to represent wards and 38 571 to represent parties in the Proportional Representation (PR) elections.”

There are also 621 candidates standing as independent ward councillors not affiliated to a specific political party.

The number of candidates has increased by 43% compared to the 2021 municipal elections, when 95 427 hopefuls were chasing 10 478 positions.

Big ballot papers

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The IEC notes that the sheer number of candidates standing for election as ward and PR councillors, as well as the increase in the number of political parties, will require large ballot papers. For the first time, ballot papers will have to have two columns.

“The high number of political parties contesting PR seats in some municipalities has implications for the design of ballot papers,” according to the IEC.

It says a double-column ballot paper “is inevitable” when there are more than 48 parties on the PR ballot.

The 75 parties contesting the elections in Johannesburg will require a ballot paper with two columns. This also applies to Tshwane with 70 parties, eThekwini (69),  Ekurhuleni (67) and Cape Town (55).

“Similarly, the large number of ward candidates in these metros will result in double ballots for ward candidates. For example, Ward 18 in the City of Johannesburg has 63 candidates,” says the IEC.

“The other municipalities in the top 10 are Emfuleni at 41 parties, followed by Polokwane at 36 parties, Rustenburg at 36 parties, Nelson Mandela Bay at 37 parties, and Capricorn District at 36 parties.”

By municipality type, 43 098 candidates will contest for council seats in metropolitan municipalities, 6 443 for seats at district municipal councils and 87 249 for seats in local municipalities.

Requirements

It is not surprising that elections attract lots of candidates – the money is good, the work is easy (for the less diligent among us), and there are no minimum requirements in terms of qualifications or experience.

Any adult can stand as a candidate, apart from those who:

Work for remuneration in the specific municipality;
Work for the state elsewhere and are disqualified from municipal council membership under national legislation;
Can’t vote for the National Assembly;
Have been declared insolvent and not yet rehabilitated;
Have been declared of unsound mind by a court;
Were sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine, in South Africa or abroad, and fewer than five years have passed since completing that sentence;
Are sitting members of the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) or a provincial legislature (unless representing local government in the NCOP); and
Already sit on a different municipal council in another category.

However, political parties can and do set requirements above the legal minimum.

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ANC, DA and EFF requirements

The African National Congress (ANC) accepted a policy in November 2025 that the minimum requirement to qualify as a candidate is that the prospective must possess a matric qualification.

This came with a proviso: “or have the capacity, experience, education or expertise that will enable them to make a constructive contribution within the municipal council”.

“The requirement for a matric qualification may be waived by the Electoral Committee under exceptional circumstances,” according to the ANC.

The party has other internal requirements, such as candidates must be members of the party in good standing, and must have personally or virtually attended and completed four so-called OR Tambo Leadership School online modules (including the history of the ANC, building an organisation, understanding government, and local economic development and sustainable development).

The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes in its documents that its minimum requirements include completing matric, previous experience as a public representative, and a specialised skill. Potential candidates go through a selection process.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) also requires a minimum qualification of matric, but favours candidates with more qualifications than just a matric certificate. It also requires computer literacy and basic administration skills, along with other requirements.

Lucrative

Once elected, a councillor will have a fairly safe job for five years at a good salary.

The current salary for a part-time councillor ranges from R24 000 to R51 000 per month, depending on the size of the city or town.

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Their duties include attending council meetings and other committee meetings, liaising with voters, and doing political work for the party.

Full-time councillors at smaller municipalities earn R56 000 per month, while those at larger metros earn up to R156 000 when serving as mayor, deputy mayor or speaker.

Full-time and executive positions earn extra benefits and councillors seconded to represent the municipality in other roles can get another stipend.

Risks

The large number of political parties and independent candidates will make for a messy election outcome.

Forsaking ‘United we stand, divided we fall’ and ‘Eendrag maak mag’ will lead to situations where there is no outright winner in many municipalities.

Forming coalitions after the ballots are counted often puts smaller parties and independent candidates in a position of power.

They demand full-time and executive positions – to get double the salaries of part-time posts.

Listen/read: SA’s coalition crisis may not be as bad as it seems

The same small party or independent councillor also ends up in a position of power in the meeting room – where a single vote from a barely-literate candidate is often needed to pass a budget of several billions, or a project for a new water pipe tabled by a teams of engineers with decades of experience.

Watch/listen/read:
‘God first’: The Patriotic Alliance’s vision for Joburg
Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng’s EFF prescription for Joburg
Zille: ‘I’m committed to Joburg and getting it on the right track’
Mkhaliphi puts communities at the centre of her EFF eThekwini campaign
Herron’s GOOD fight to unite Cape Town’s two cities
Hoosen: The DA veteran who wants to fix eThekwini’s water crisis
From Langa to City Hall: Nolutshungu’s EFF bid to lead Cape Town
IFP’s Mkhuleko Hlengwa takes the accountability fight to eThekwini
ActionSA’s fixer: Zwakele Mncwango’s 10-point plan for eThekwini

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