2026 Local Government Elections: IEC Calls on Late Voters as Turnout Hits 12 Million Ahead of 21:00 Poll Closure

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CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR

2026 Local Government Elections: IEC Calls on Late Voters as Turnout Hits 12 Million Ahead of 21:00 Poll Closure

​PRETORIA — The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has issued a final push to voters across the nation to make their way to voting stations before polls close at 21:00 tonight for the 2026 Local Government Elections.

​Speaking during an 18:00 media briefing on Election Day, the Commission confirmed that operations have proceeded smoothly across the country, despite isolated incidents and localized power disruptions.

​Over 12 Million Votes Cast

​As of 17:00 today, preliminary voter turnout figures showed that over 12 million South Africans had already exercised their right to vote.

​Gauteng leads the provincial turnout with 3 million voters, followed closely by KwaZulu-Natal with 2.5 million and the Western Cape at 1.5 million.

​Provincial Breakdown (as of 17:00):

​Gauteng: 3,000,000

​KwaZulu-Natal: 2,500,000

​Western Cape: 1,500,000

​Eastern Cape: 1,400,000

​Limpopo: 1,100,000

​Mpumalanga: 854,901

​North West: 702,137

​Free State: 588,237

​Northern Cape: 299,381

​"No One in Queue Will Be Turned Away"

​Addressing concerns over evening queues and load-shedding or local power outages, the IEC reassured citizens that backup generators and alternative lighting facilities are positioned at affected stations to safeguard the counting process.

​Crucially, the Commission clarified that any eligible voter who is inside the queue at their registered voting station by 21:00 will be permitted to vote, even if the voting process extends past the cutoff hour.

​"We encourage voters not to leave it until the last minute, but to use the remaining time to visit voting stations," the Commission stated, reiterating its campaign slogan: "Get Up. Show Up. Vote!"

​Counting and Verification Protocol

​Once polling stations officially close, counting will begin immediately on-site in the presence of political party agents, independent candidate representatives, and accredited observers.

​Ballot Verification: Sealed boxes will be opened and checked for the official security stamp.

​Sorting & Counting: Ballots will be counted separately for Proportional Representation (PR) and Ward candidates (as well as District Council PR ballots where applicable).

​Reconciliation: Results will be reconciled against issued, unused, and spoiled ballots.

​Public Display: Signed result slips will be posted publicly at each voting station. Party agents are permitted to photograph these slips for transparency.

​Audit & Declaration: Results will be scanned, verified, and independently audited at local Results Operations Centres.

​The IEC has up to seven days to resolve any outstanding queries, complete verification, and officially declare the final municipal seat allocations.

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2026 Local Government Elections: IEC Reports Smooth Start as Over 3.5 Million Votes Cast by Mid-Morning

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CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR

2026 Local Government Elections: IEC Reports Smooth Start as Over 3.5 Million Votes Cast by Mid-Morning

​JOHANNESBURG — South Africa's 2026 Local Government Elections got off to a strong start today, with the Electoral Commission (IEC) reporting that 98% of the country’s 23,696 voting stations opened on schedule at 07:00.

​By 10:00, preliminary statistics indicated that over 3.5 million citizens had already cast their ballots.

​High Voter Turnout and Technological Upgrades

​The IEC expressed strong encouragement at the early turnout across all nine provinces, highlighting scenes of voters queuing during the early hours of the morning to exercise their democratic rights.

​To streamline the voting process and reduce queuing times, the Commission introduced two key technical operational enhancements:

• ​Handheld Barcode Scanners: Integrated directly with existing Voter Management Devices (VMDs) to speed up identification.

• ​Voters Roll Sequence Numbers: Printed on the physical roll to allow rapid verification of individual records.

​The Commission confirmed that Voter Management Devices (VMDs) are functioning optimally across the nation.

​Regional Performance and Opening Delays

​As of 10:00, Gauteng led the provincial vote tally with nearly 900,000 ballots cast, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

​Provincial Breakdown (as of 10:00)

Province Certified Voters

Gauteng 

6,674,073

Total Votes Cast

895,384

KwaZulu-Natal

6,051,917

Total Votes Cast

623,380

Western Cape

3,457,253

Total Votes Cast

461,264

Eastern Cape

3,624,866

Total Votes Cast

431,123

Limpopo 

3,630,080

Total Votes Cast

366,378

Mpumalanga

1,643,960

Total Votes Cast

252,859

North West

1,663,544

Total Votes Cast

204,736

Free State

1,487,687

Total Votes Cast

195,537

Northern Cape

997,428

Total Votes Cast

93,030

Total

29,230,808

Total Votes Cast

3,523,691

(Source: Electoral Commission of South Africa)  

​While the vast majority of stations opened seamlessly at 07:00, a small percentage experienced delayed openings up until 09:00 due to localized community protests as well as severe weather and access challenges in parts of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The IEC confirmed that ballot deliveries were completed nationwide shortly after voting officially began.  

​Important Guidance for Voters

​The Commission issued essential reminders for citizens preparing to head to polling stations before voting closes later today:

​1. Ballot Paper Structure

​Unlike National and Provincial elections, ballot allocations vary depending on municipal type:  

​Local Municipalities (3 Ballots): A grey ballot for ward councillor, a green ballot for political party (local council), and a yellow ballot for party representatives on the district council.  

​Metropolitan Municipalities (2 Ballots): A grey ballot for ward councillor and a green ballot for political party (metropolitan council).  

​2. Correct Marking

​Voters must mark ONE clear X inside the box next to their chosen candidate or party on each paper. Selecting multiple options or making unauthorized marks on a ballot will result in a spoilt vote.  

​3. Universal Ballot Templates (UBT) for Visually Impaired Voters

​Every voting station is equipped with Universal Ballot Templates (UBTs) to assist braille-literate voters. Following consultation with Blind SA, the IEC highlighted a variation for double-column UBTs where a ballot paper contains fewer than 80 candidates. Presiding officers have been instructed to explain column endpoints to visually impaired voters before they cast their votes.  

​Incidents and Security Measures

​The Commission confirmed an isolated security breach in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, where unused ballot papers and a official stamp were stolen.  

​The incident was formally reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS), and an official criminal investigation is underway. The IEC reassured the public that stringent precautionary measures were immediately put in place to ensure the stolen ballots cannot be used fraudulently.  

​Security operations across all provinces continue to be coordinated through NATJOINTS to ensure a secure environment throughout voting and counting processes.  

​How to Check Your Registration & Voting Station Details

​Registered voters who have not yet voted can confirm their registration details and obtain their voters roll sequence number via the following channels:  

​WhatsApp: Send ID number to 0600 88 0000  

​SMS: Send ID number to 32810 (R1.00 per SMS)  

​Call Center: 0800 11 8000  

​Website: www.elections.org.za  

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SACP stands in solidarity with Festive Chicken Workers fighting for a living wage, condemns reported police violence against the striking workers

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CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR

SACP stands in solidarity with Festive Chicken Workers fighting for a living wage, condemns reported police violence against the striking workers 

The South African Communist Party (SACP) expresses full solidarity with thousands of workers at Festive Chicken who have launched an indefinite protected strike in Gauteng and Mpumalanga to secure a living wage and better working conditions. 

The workers are demanding a mere R13,500 per month. According to the Casual Workers Advice Office, some Festive Chicken workers currently earn as little as R5,600 per month for a 45-hour workweek, while workers on some poultry farms reportedly earn about R7,300 per month for a 48-hour workweek. 

The strike includes workers at the major Festive Chicken processing operation in Olifantsfontein in Gauteng, as well as chicken catchers and workers involved in live-bird handling. These wages must be measured against the real conditions facing working-class households. Workers do not live on abstract percentages. 

They must pay for food, transport, electricity, rent and housing, school costs, healthcare and other necessities. A wage that cannot support a worker and their family with dignity is not a decent wage just because it meets a statutory minimum.

A living wage is affordable: Astral cannot plead poverty Festive Chicken is part of Astral Foods, one of South Africa’s major integrated poultry enterprises. Astral’s own financial results make the contrast between corporate prosperity and workers’ wages impossible to ignore. For the six months ended 31 March 2026, Astral reported revenue of approximately R11.9 billion, profit before interest and tax of over R1.2 billion, profit for the period of approximately R895.5 million, and a cash balance of more than R1.15 billion. 

The company also declared an interim dividend of 1,160 cents per share. 

For the previous full financial year, Astral reported revenue of R22.6 billion, operating profit of approximately R1.25 billion and profit for the year of R876 million. These figures demonstrate that this is not fundamentally a struggle against an enterprise without resources. It is a struggle over how the wealth created through workers’ labour is distributed. 

The Casual Workers Advice Office, citing Astral’s 2025 Annual Report, has further highlighted that CEO Gary Arnold received total remuneration of approximately R27.9 million for that financial year. Astral’s audited results separately record total remuneration for its executive directors of approximately R78.18 million for the year ended September 2025. 

The SACP therefore calls on Astral Foods and Festive Chicken to engage the workers seriously and in good faith and to meet the legitimate demand for a living wage. A highly profitable company cannot celebrate strong earnings, cash generation and shareholder returns while workers producing that wealth struggle to afford the necessities of life. Workers are being crushed by the cost-of-living crisis The Festive Chicken workers’ struggle takes place amid a severe cost-of-living crisis. In October alone, the regulated petrol price increased by approximately R3.12 per litre for 93-octane petrol and R3.33 per litre for 95-octane petrol, while diesel increased by between roughly R2.84 and R3.24 per litre. 

By 21 October, 95-octane petrol was around R30.25 per litre inland. Every such increase hits working-class family budgets. It raises the direct cost of taxis and other transport and contributes to higher costs throughout food production and distribution and other essential goods and services. 

The government’s temporary fuel-levy relief announced in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, R1.50 per litre on petrol and R3 per litre on diesel from 4 November to 1 December, followed by smaller reductions until early January, provides some immediate relief, but it is temporary and inadequate to the structural scale of the costof-living crisis affecting workers. South Africa needs a much deeper solution, including production income distribution justice and an economic policy that protects working-class households from repeatedly absorbing the external shocks while executive pay is sky-high. Austerity compounds the pressure on workers The struggle for improvements for workers at Festive Chicken also cannot be separated from the broader macro-economic environment. 

The SACP has already rejected the austerity path and its continuation through the 2026 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement. The current fiscal framework restrains expenditure growth while unemployment, poverty and inequality remain at crisis levels. This approach constrains public investment, employment creation, social protection and the capacity of the state and municipalities to meet working-class needs. When public services are weakened, transport becomes unaffordable, administered prices rise and social provision fails to keep pace with need. 

The costs do not disappear. They are pushed back into households. Therefore, the struggle for a living wage is inseparable from the struggle against austerity and the broader struggle for macro-economic policy change. Reported police attack on protected strikers requires immediate investigation The SACP is deeply alarmed by reports received today that police used rubber bullets against workers participating in the Festive Chicken strike, resulting in injuries to striking workers and organisers, with some requiring hospital treatment. 

These reports require immediate explanation and investigation. Workers participating peacefully in a protected strike are exercising a constitutionally protected, hard-won labour right. The police have no mandate to become an instrument for breaking lawful industrial action or intimidating workers on behalf of an employer. The SACP therefore calls for: 1. an immediate cessation of repression and any unjustified use of force against the striking workers; 2. urgent medical assistance and support for all those injured; 3. a transparent investigation into the circumstances in which police force was used; 4. accountability for any unlawful or disproportionate conduct; 5. protection of the workers’ lawful right to strike, assemble and organise; and 6. urgent engagement by the employer aimed at resolving the wage dispute rather than escalating confrontation. 

The Party also notes CWAO's allegation that workers were threatened with dismissal and pressured to sign documents relating to participation in the strike. CWAO says Lawyers for Human Rights wrote to Festive demanding an end to alleged intimidation. These allegations should be answered directly by the company. An injury to one is an injury to all The SACP calls upon the trade-union movement, workers in other workplaces, progressive civil-society organisations, community organisations and working-class communities to express practical solidarity with the Festive Chicken workers. 

This dispute raises a question extending far beyond one workplace: Who benefits from the wealth workers create? South Africa cannot build an inclusive economy while companies generate hundreds of millions of rand in profits and substantial shareholder value-capture while the workers at the heart of production remain trapped in poverty wages. Astral Foods and Festive Chicken must return to meaningful negotiations, stop any intimidation of workers, recognise the legitimacy of workers’ rights for decent livelihoods and pay a living wage. The working class must not be forced to choose between going hungry and surrendering its right to organise.

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RAPE CASE AGAINST TEACHER POSTPONED FOR FORMAL BAIL APPLICATION

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CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR 

RAPE CASE AGAINST TEACHER POSTPONED FOR FORMAL BAIL APPLICATION

The case against 59-year-old Kabelo Temba, a teacher at Busisiwe Primary School who is facing a charge of rape, has been postponed by the Protea Magistrates’ Court to 03 November 2026 for a formal bail application. 

The postponement follows a request by the defence for additional time to take instructions after the accused appointed a new legal representative.

Temba is alleged to have raped a nine-year-old learner in the school toilets on 06 October 2026. The child allegedly disclosed the incident to her mother on the same day, and the matter was subsequently reported to the police on 10 October 2026. Temba handed himself over to the police on 21 October 2026 and subsequently appeared before the court.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will oppose the accused’s application for bail, taking into account the seriousness of the charge and the vulnerability of the complainant. 

The NPA remains committed to the effective prosecution of cases involving sexual offences against children and to ensuring that the interests of vulnerable victims are appropriately represented throughout the criminal justice process.

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Gauteng Gears Up for the Ultimate Showdown: MEC Lebogang Maile Confirms Readiness for the Soweto Derby

CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR

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Gauteng Gears Up for the Ultimate Showdown: MEC Lebogang Maile Confirms Readiness for the Soweto Derby

​As anticipation reaches fever pitch across South Africa's townships and cities, the stage is officially set for one of African football's most electrifying spectacles. 

This Saturday, 31 October 2026, the historic rivalry between soccer giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs takes centre stage once again for the much-anticipated Soweto Derby.

​Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, has expressed absolute confidence that the province is fully prepared to host the monumental fixture, emphasizing that the Derby represents far more than a standard 90-minute football match.

​"As the province of Gauteng, we are proud to host this big game once again," MEC Maile stated. "To us, the Derby is much more than a football match. It is a celebration of our sporting culture and heritage, our passion for football and a moment to showcase to the whole world that indeed sport can unite people across communities, cultures and generations."

​Economic Impact Beyond the Stadium

​Beyond the roaring crowds and the bragging rights, the fixture serves as a vital economic catalyst for the province. Thousands of supporters and visitors flocking to Gauteng stimulate local commerce across multiple sectors.

​The ripple effects of the Derby stretch far beyond the stadium turf. Local businesses, informal traders, vibrant township restaurants, accommodation establishments, and public transport operators all stand to benefit from the heightened movement of people and increased consumer spending.

​MEC Maile reiterated the government's strategic vision: leveraging major sporting events not just for entertainment and provincial pride, but as powerful engines for inclusive economic growth, job creation, and grassroots social development.

​Safety First: A Shared Community Responsibility

​With a massive turnout expected, security and public safety have taken top priority. The provincial government has stressed that safety cannot be left to law enforcement alone, calling for a collective effort among the Premier Soccer League (PSL), clubs, stadium management, transport providers, security personnel, and supporters.

​A central message from the leadership emphasized the uncompromising protection of vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.

​"We also want to emphasize the importance of safety during major events like the Derby," said Maile. "As we prepare for an exuberant contest, we need to unequivocally highlight that the safety of every football supporter and particularly our women and children is a priority."

​The MEC issued a stern call for discipline, warning that hooliganism, vandalism, and violence have zero place in modern football culture:

​Obey Stadium Rules: Supporters must cooperate fully with security personnel and refrain from bringing prohibited or dangerous items into the venue.

​Reject Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF): The Department urged communities to stand united against GBVF, emphasizing that silence is never an option when confronting abuse.

​Promote Peace: Club leadership and supporters' structures are urged to champion messages of mutual respect, reminding fans that intense rivalry should never compromise human safety.

​Smart Travel and Logistics

​To ease expected traffic congestion around matchday, authorities have coordinated extensive public safety, traffic management, and emergency response plans.

​Fans commuting to the venue are encouraged to plan their journeys carefully, explore alternative modes of transport, utilize special Gautrain arrangements for ticket holders, and strictly adhere to road regulations—with a zero-tolerance stance on drinking and driving.

​The Home of Champions Awaits

​As the countdown ticks down to kickoff, the message from the Gauteng Provincial Government is clear: let the beautiful game shine.

​"We wish both Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs well and we know that they will give their supporters and football fans a game to remember," MEC Maile concluded. "Let us use this occasion to reaffirm that indeed Gauteng is The Home of Champions, a home of opportunities, a destination for major sporting and cultural events and a province committed to the safety and dignity of its people."

​Stay tuned to KasiBC Africa (kasibc.blogspot.com) for all your local sports updates, pre-match analysis, and post-match reactions straight from the heart of the community.

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