How to check election results South Africa: IEC results guide

To check election results in South Africa, use the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) website or the IEC South Africa mobile app. Polls in the 4 November 2026 local government elections close at 21:00, counting then starts at each voting station, and results are published on a rolling basis.

A record 29.2 million people are registered for this election, according to the IEC. So many voters and councils mean results for a large metro can take far longer than a small town, and early numbers can shift a lot as each new voting district comes in.

Where to check election results in South Africa?

The official places to check are the IEC’s website, its mobile app and the leaderboards at its results centre. On 28 October 2026 the IEC said it had changed how results are transmitted and displayed, so that they keep flowing to the leaderboards, the mobile app and the website.

The current version of the IEC South Africa app, 6.0.1, is described in the Apple App Store as rebuilt for these elections. It has few store ratings so far, and those reviews criticise its speed and interface, so keep the website as a backup. The separate IEC Media App is for accredited journalists and is not a public results tool.

When will election results be announced in South Africa?

Results start appearing after polls close at 21:00 on Wednesday and build up over the following days, with the final declaration due within seven days. Daily Maverick reports that the IEC has seven days to declare under the Electoral Commission Act, which points to Wednesday, 11 November 2026. There is more on this in our guide to when election results will be announced.

Last time it went faster. South Africans voted on 1 November 2021, and the results were declared on 4 November 2021. That is a guide, not a promise for 2026.

How are votes counted and checked?

Votes are counted at each voting station, in place, once it closes. The 1,425,942 special votes cast on 2 and 3 November are stored securely and counted with Election Day ballots after stations close, the IEC says.

Results are then checked and audited in the IEC results system before being finalised, and objections are dealt with alongside the count. The Results Operation Centre is the base for auditing, collating, verifying and announcing results, and parties can raise official objections there.

Can the IEC results dashboard go down?

It has happened before: during the 2024 national elections the dashboard went down for more than an hour. The IEC said then that the glitch did not affect the integrity of results and that no data was lost. For 2026, five political parties audited the system between 8 and 12 October and reported no material findings, and Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo declared it “fit for purpose”. If the numbers freeze tonight, it does not mean votes have been lost.

What should you look for in the results?

The clearest baseline is the 2021 local government election, because all parties will be measured against it. Remember that this year’s race has new contestants, including the MK Party, which is standing in local elections for the first time.

Turnout is the other number to watch. It was about 46% in 2021. National shares also say little about who governs a city, so look at each municipality’s council seats.

What happens after the results are declared?

Councils must be established within 14 calendar days of the declaration, and coalition talks follow where no party has more than 50% of the seats. The IEC calculates the seats and gazettes each municipality’s councillors. Councillors then elect a speaker, who oversees the election of a mayor. If you have not voted yet, check our guide on how to vote on 4 November 2026, and remember that you can only vote where you are registered.