Cape Town – More than 2.6 million South Africans are expected to cast special votes on Monday and Tuesday as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) steps up preparations for Wednesday’s local government elections.
The IEC has deployed 127,000 electoral officials nationwide to oversee the two-day voting process, which began on Monday, November 2, ahead of the November 4 polls.
According to IOL, citing IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo, a total of 2,655,067 voters have been approved for special voting. Of these, 678,525 will receive home visits because of physical infirmity or disability, while 1,976,542 will cast their ballots at their registered voting stations.
Mamabolo urged voters approved for home visits to remain at the addresses provided in their applications until electoral officials arrive.
Large number of households
“The Commission appeals to all approved home visit voters to remain at their addresses during the two days, until the Electoral Commission staff has assisted them to vote,” he said.
He warned that officials would not return to addresses where voters were unavailable during their first visit, citing the large number of households that must be covered within the limited period.
According to TimesLIVE, the approved special-vote applications represent a 131% increase compared with the 1,147,759 approved for the 2021 local government elections.
Women account for 74% of approved home-visit applications, while KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of home visits, at 143,714. Gauteng leads in total special-vote applications, with 480,721, followed by the Eastern Cape with 401,971.
Voting stations will operate between 8am and 5pm on both days. Approved voters must cast their ballots at the stations where they are registered and present a valid South African identity document.
Special votes
The IEC has also assured voters that special ballots will remain secure until election day.
“Special votes are not counted on 2 and 3 November. They remain secured and are reconciled with the special-vote records before being opened and counted together with the ballots cast on Election Day, 4 November 2026,” Mamabolo said.
Meanwhile, eNCA reported that the IEC was working with the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) to safeguard voters, electoral officials and election materials.
The special voting process is intended to accommodate registered voters who cannot make it to polling stations on election day, including elderly and disabled people, as well as those who will be unavailable in their voting districts on Wednesday.
With more than 29 million registered voters expected to participate in the local government elections, Wednesday’s polls will determine the political leadership of municipalities across South Africa.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
