Meta Description: How many candidates are contesting South Africa’s 2026 local elections? The IEC certified 136,790, but party counts differ between reports. See the figures.
Last updated: 8 October 2026
Short Answer
A gov.za statement dated 16 September 2026 says the IEC certified 136,790 candidates for the 2026 local government elections, after 142,072 were nominated. Reports of how many parties are contesting disagree: SABC News says 547, Polity says 546, and an eNCA headline says 520.
Key Takeaways
- 142,072 candidates were nominated, about 43% more than the roughly 99,000 in 2021, according to an IEC briefing on 2 September 2026.
- 136,790 were certified and 5,096 disqualified, compared with 95,427 certified in 2021.
- Party totals conflict across SABC News, Polity and eNCA, so treat any single number with care.
- Independent candidate figures also differ between the 2 September briefing and the 16 September statement.
The Headline Figure: A Record Candidate List
When people ask how many candidates are contesting the 2026 local government elections in South Africa, the most authoritative number comes from the Electoral Commission itself. A government statement published on gov.za on 16 September 2026 reports that the commission certified 136,790 candidates, and that the contest covers 10,526 seats. For comparison, the same statement says 95,427 candidates were certified in 2021.
Earlier in the process, an IEC briefing on 2 September 2026, reported by SAnews and Polity, put the number of nominations at 142,072. Polity described that as a 43% surge on the roughly 99,000 nominated in 2021. A rise of that size suggests that far more people and parties have chosen to put their names forward this time, though the sources do not offer a single explanation for why.
Nominated, Certified, Disqualified: Three Different Numbers
A source of confusion in election reporting is that “candidates” can mean different things at different moments. Nominated candidates are those whose papers were submitted by the deadline. Certified candidates are those whom the commission has confirmed meet the legal requirements. Disqualified candidates are those whose submissions failed that check.
The gov.za statement of 16 September reports 5,096 disqualified candidates. If you subtract the 136,790 certified figure from the 142,072 nominated figure, you get 5,282, which is 186 higher than the disqualification number. The sources reviewed do not explain that gap. It could reflect withdrawals, duplicates or different cut-off times, but that is an inference, not something the sources state, so this article simply flags it.
Independent Candidates: Two Numbers, Two Dates
The statement of 16 September says 621 independent ward candidates were certified. Yet the 2 September briefing reported that 975 independents had been nominated. These figures are not necessarily in conflict, because they describe different stages of the process, but they show how much the count can shrink between nomination and certification.
For readers following independent candidates, the lesson is to check which stage a number refers to before comparing it with another report. A headline that says “975 independents” and a headline that says “621 independents” can both be accurate and still describe different things.
How Many Parties? The Reports Disagree
Party counts are where the evidence is least consistent. SABC News reports that 547 of 732 registered parties are contesting, up from 325 in 2021. Polity reports 546. An eNCA headline gives 520. The research behind this article could not reconcile those three numbers.
There are plausible reasons for small differences, such as outlets counting at different dates or treating a party that contests only a few wards differently, but the sources do not say which explanation applies. The safest approach is to say that roughly 520 to 547 parties are reported to be contesting, to attribute each figure to its outlet, and to rely on the IEC’s own published candidate lists for the definitive count.
Why the Surge in Candidates Matters
A longer ballot and a larger field have practical consequences. More parties and candidates can mean more fragmented councils, which in turn can mean more coalition negotiations after the vote. They can also mean a heavier workload for the IEC in printing ballots, training staff and handling objections. None of the sources quantify those effects, so they are listed here as questions to watch rather than conclusions.
For voters, a crowded field makes it more important to read the ballot carefully on election day. Knowing who your ward candidates are, and which party each represents, is easier before you reach the voting station than inside it.
How to Verify the Numbers Yourself
- Go to the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s official website and look for the certified candidate lists for your municipality and ward.
- Check the date on any statistic you read. The 2 September figures and the 16 September figures describe different stages.
- When two outlets disagree, prefer the IEC’s own statement or briefing and read the exact wording about what is being counted.
- Be cautious with percentage comparisons to 2021, since they depend on which 2021 figure is used as the base.
What to Watch Next
With certification complete, attention shifts to campaigning and logistics before 4 November 2026. Watch for updated IEC statements, any court challenges to disqualifications, and final party lists. If the party total is revised, it will most likely appear in an IEC statement before it appears in a news summary.
Reading the 2021 Comparison Carefully
Comparisons with 2021 appear in almost every report on this topic, and they are useful, but only if the same thing is being compared. The gov.za statement compares certified candidates in 2026 with certified candidates in 2021, which is a like-for-like measure. The Polity report compares 2026 nominations with roughly 99,000 nominations in 2021, which is a different stage of the process. If you see a percentage increase, check whether it compares nominated with nominated or certified with certified, and note the base year figure used.
The same caution applies to party numbers. The 325 parties SABC News cites for 2021 and the 547 it cites for 2026 are presented together, but the outlet’s own total of 732 registered parties shows that only some registered parties actually contest. A party that is registered but does not field candidates is not on the ballot, so the more useful question is always how many parties are actually contesting, and in which municipalities.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many candidates were certified for the 2026 local elections?
The gov.za statement of 16 September 2026 reports 136,790 certified candidates.
How many were nominated?
An IEC briefing on 2 September 2026 reported 142,072 nominations, according to SAnews and Polity.
How many candidates were disqualified?
The 16 September statement reports 5,096 disqualified candidates.
How many parties are contesting?
Reports differ: SABC News says 547, Polity says 546, and an eNCA headline says 520. The sources do not reconcile these.
How does this compare with 2021?
The gov.za statement says 95,427 candidates were certified in 2021, and SABC News says 325 parties contested that year.
Sources
- gov.za: Electoral Commission certifies 136,790 candidates to contest 2026 local government elections (16 September 2026)
- SABC News: 547 political parties to contest 2026 local government elections
- Polity: IEC records 43% surge in candidates for November elections (2 September 2026)
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