News · Elections 2026 · Partial counting · Live verified updates
LIVE | South Africa local elections: first partial IEC records appear
The IEC’s 5 November records show 243 of 23,696 districts completed nationally and one of 268 in Nelson Mandela Bay. These are early processing figures, not turnout or declared council results.
Current status
First partial IEC records appear; council declarations remain separate
The IEC’s 01:02 SAST national record shows 243 districts completed; the Bay’s 01:01 record shows one of 268. No council winner or Bay result is called here.
Updated
The IEC’s first partial counting records are appearing. Read the source time and scope with each update: a station tally, partial municipal count, seat allocation and declared council result are different stages. Voters already queued at 21:00 on 4 November remain entitled to vote before counting begins at their station.
Official results watch
Follow results across the eight metros
Choose a metro to check its results status. Every published figure carries its ballot, geographic scope and dated IEC source. A station tally, a partial count, a declared result and council seats describe different stages.
Nelson Mandela Bay
Awaiting a reviewed IEC result
TPR has no verified result figures to display here yet. This does not establish whether counting is complete. Check the official IEC results service.
Buffalo City
Awaiting a reviewed IEC result
TPR has no verified result figures to display here yet. This does not establish whether counting is complete. Check the official IEC results service.
Johannesburg
Awaiting a reviewed IEC result
TPR has no verified result figures to display here yet. This does not establish whether counting is complete. Check the official IEC results service.
Tshwane
Awaiting a reviewed IEC result
TPR has no verified result figures to display here yet. This does not establish whether counting is complete. Check the official IEC results service.
Ekurhuleni
Awaiting a reviewed IEC result
TPR has no verified result figures to display here yet. This does not establish whether counting is complete. Check the official IEC results service.
Cape Town
Awaiting a reviewed IEC result
TPR has no verified result figures to display here yet. This does not establish whether counting is complete. Check the official IEC results service.
eThekwini
Awaiting a reviewed IEC result
TPR has no verified result figures to display here yet. This does not establish whether counting is complete. Check the official IEC results service.
Mangaung
Awaiting a reviewed IEC result
TPR has no verified result figures to display here yet. This does not establish whether counting is complete. Check the official IEC results service.
This is a reviewed results record, not an automatic feed. We add official figures after checking the election, scope and source. How to read municipal results · Report an error.
National election-day updates
5 November, 01:11 SAST / source reviewed
IEC national counting-progress record reaches 243 districts
The IEC’s public dashboard file dated 5 November at 01:02 SAST records 243 of 23,696 voting districts completed and zero municipalities completed. The provincial district counts reconcile to the national total. This is results-processing progress, not turnout, a national party-vote contest or a declaration of council control.
IEC national dashboard data, report dated 5 November 2026 at 01:02 SAST →
5 November, 00:10 SAST / source reviewed
IEC dashboard records first partial counting data
The IEC’s public 2026 municipal dashboard file, dated 5 November 2026 at 00:06 SAST, records 54 of 23,696 voting districts completed and zero municipalities completed. This measures the dashboard’s counting progress, not voter turnout. Its national party totals combine ward and PR votes, so TPR is not presenting them as a single party-vote contest. No Nelson Mandela Bay council result or seat allocation is established by this national record.
IEC 2026 municipal dashboard data, report dated 5 November 2026 at 00:06 SAST →
21:05 SAST / closing handover
Voting closes station by station; queued voters remain entitled to vote
The IEC says voters who arrived and were in the queue by 21:00 must still be assisted. Its evening briefing says counting begins at a voting station shortly after voting there has closed. TPR is therefore not reporting that every station has finished voting or that counting has started everywhere. Ballot types are counted separately, results are reconciled at the station and signed slips are then captured and verified through the IEC process.
SAnews reporting the IEC evening briefing, 4 November 2026 →
20:01 SAST / source checked
IEC reports about 12 million voters by 17:00
SAnews reports the IEC’s preliminary figure of about 12 million voters having cast ballots by 17:00. The provincial figures include about 1.4 million in the Eastern Cape. These are preliminary participation figures, not a final turnout percentage, station result, municipal count or declared council result. The IEC says anyone in the queue by 21:00 must still be assisted.
SAnews reporting the IEC evening briefing, 4 November 2026 →
20:01 SAST / source checked
IEC acknowledges eThekwini ballot and stamp theft report
In a dated statement, the IEC says it received a report that unused ballot papers and a stamp were stolen in eThekwini. It says the provincial office opened a case with SAPS, an investigation is under way and precautionary measures were taken so the material cannot be used unlawfully. This is an officially acknowledged report and open investigation, not a finding that a fraudulent vote was cast.
IEC statement published by the South African Government, 4 November 2026 →
17:10 SAST / source checked
Police say voting continued after Hanover Park confrontation
Police said four suspects were arrested after officers were attacked near Hanover Park Civic Centre in Cape Town shortly after 10:00 on 4 November. An officer was injured. Colonel André Traut’s account, reported by IOL, says voting continued uninterrupted. Arrests are not convictions.
TPR report with attributed police account and source links, 4 November 2026 →
17:10 SAST / source checked
Police warn against old footage presented as current incidents
SAnews reports a 4 November Limpopo police warning against recycled videos and photographs being labelled as current election incidents. The warning does not identify every circulating clip as false. Check the place, date, original upload and full sequence before sharing.
16:10 SAST / source checked
Ballot-template guidance for visually impaired voters
SAnews reports that the IEC has asked presiding officers to explain where the first column of a double-column ballot ends when helping visually impaired voters use a Universal Ballot Template. The template’s numbering can differ from a ballot with fewer than 80 candidates. Ask the presiding officer for guidance on the layout before marking your choice.
14:39 SAST / source checked
IEC clarifies the boundary for political activity
SAnews reports that campaigning inside voting-station boundaries is prohibited. The IEC also distinguishes meetings, marches and demonstrations, which are prohibited on voting day, from other political activity outside station boundaries. The clarification does not permit influencing voters inside a station.
09:26 SAST
IEC reports a smooth opening
IEC chair Mosotho Moepya said stations had opened successfully almost everywhere and indications were that operations were up and running.
Pre-election record / 3 November
29.2 million registered voters, 23,696 stations
The IEC’s dated readiness statement records 29.2 million registered voters and 23,696 stations. These are registration and infrastructure figures, not turnout or results.
07:00–21:00
Voting hours
Government says ordinary voting stations operate from 07:00 to 21:00 today.
Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape
5 November, 01:11 SAST / source reviewed
First Bay counting-progress record: one of 268 districts
The IEC’s Nelson Mandela Bay dashboard file dated 5 November at 01:01 SAST records one of 268 voting districts completed. It identifies the municipality as NMA - Nelson Mandela Bay, IEC municipality ID 1001, and electoral event 1887. This is a very early partial processing record, not turnout, a ward winner, a seat allocation or a declared Bay council result. The file’s headline party totals combine ward and PR ballots; TPR is not using those combined totals to call a contest. Ballot-specific results remain subject to review.
IEC Nelson Mandela Bay dashboard data, report dated 5 November 2026 at 01:01 SAST →
21:05 SAST / closing handover
Bay reporting moves into a qualified closing and counting phase
At 21:05 SAST, TPR had recorded no declared Nelson Mandela Bay result. Voters already queued at 21:00 must still be assisted, and counting can begin at a station only after voting there is complete. A signed station result slip is not the same as a partial municipal count, seat allocation or declared council result. TPR will use dated IEC records and state the scope of any numbers.
SAnews reporting the IEC evening briefing, 4 November 2026 →
18:05 SAST / source checked
SABC reports no major voting disruptions in Nelson Mandela Bay
SABC’s 16:44 SAST report on 4 November says voting in Nelson Mandela Bay proceeded smoothly, with no major disruptions reported. Elsewhere in the Eastern Cape, it reports a blocked station entrance in Dutywa; Provincial Police Commissioner Vuyisile Ncata said the situation was brought under control and the station reopened. Muddy roads also hindered officials reaching a site near Bizana. These are dated, reported conditions, not a province-wide guarantee or a turnout estimate.
Shortly after 07:00
Summerstrand station observations
Daily Maverick reported more than 300 people queuing outside Cape Recife school at 07:00, a fairly long queue at the Portuguese Club at 07:10 and quick processing at NG Kerk Summerstrand. These are station-level observations, not a Nelson Mandela Bay turnout estimate.
08:40 SAST
Eastern Cape specialist police units deployed
SABC reported that Eastern Cape police deployed Public Order Policing, the National Intervention Unit and Tactical Response Team among election-day security resources.
A queue is not a turnout estimate. Station-level observations can describe conditions at a place and time, but they cannot establish participation across Nelson Mandela Bay.
Closing and counting: what happens now
Ordinary voting was scheduled from 07:00 to 21:00 SAST. Voters already in the queue at 21:00 must still be assisted. Counting may begin at a station only after voting there is complete. TPR’s voting-station directory remains a dated public venue record; use the Electoral Commission for current operational information.
Read the Election Day voting guide, including identity documents, Home Affairs hours, ballot numbers and ballot-photo rules. You can also search the Candidate Register, bearing in mind its dated source notice.
For circulating claims and incidents, use the Election Day verification tracker. A complaint is not a finding and an arrest is not a conviction.
How TPR will handle results
The IEC says counting begins at each station only after voting there is complete. Ballot types are counted separately, results are reconciled at the station, signed slips are displayed, and the records are then captured and verified. A station tally, a partial municipal count, a seat allocation and a declared council result are not interchangeable. TPR will not call a municipality from an early lead or an unverified photograph of a tally sheet.
The Electoral Commission is responsible for declaring election results and the official government elections page states that results must be declared within seven days. Use the TPR results explainer alongside the Bay election desk.
Sources for this live record
- IEC national dashboard data, report dated 5 November 2026 at 01:02 SAST
- IEC 2026 municipal dashboard data, report dated 5 November 2026 at 00:06 SAST
- SAnews reporting the IEC evening briefing, 4 November 2026
- SAnews reporting the IEC evening briefing, 4 November 2026
- IEC statement published by the South African Government, 4 November 2026
- TPR report with attributed police account and source links, 4 November 2026
- SAnews reporting a dated SAPS statement, 4 November 2026
- SAnews reporting IEC guidance, 4 November 2026
- SAnews reporting an IEC statement, 4 November 2026
- SABC News, 4 November 2026
- IEC readiness statement, 3 November 2026
- GCIS, 4 November 2026
- IEC Nelson Mandela Bay dashboard data, report dated 5 November 2026 at 01:01 SAST
- SAnews reporting the IEC evening briefing, 4 November 2026
- SABC News, 4 November 2026 at 16:44 SAST
- Daily Maverick live blog, 4 November 2026
- SABC News, 4 November 2026