Side by side
How do they compare?
Local (4 Nov 2026)
- You elect
- Your municipal (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.)
- Ballots
- 2 in a (Metro A big city with one council for the whole city, such as Johannesburg or Cape Town. There are 8. Voters there get 2 ballot papers.), 3 everywhere else
- Who picks the leader
- The council elects the (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.)
- Independent candidates
- (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) only
- How often
- Every 5 years. Last: 1 Nov 2021
- Vote at another station
- No. Only where you are (Registered Your name is on the voters' roll. Registration for this election closed on 7 August 2026.)
National
- You elect
- The National Assembly, 400 seats
- Ballots
- 2 in 2024: national and regional
- Who picks the leader
- The Assembly elects the President
- Independent candidates
- Yes, since 2024
- How often
- Every 5 years. Last: 29 May 2024
- Vote at another station
- Yes, if you told the (IEC The Electoral Commission of South Africa. It runs elections. It is independent, so it does not take orders from the government or any party.) in time
Provincial
- You elect
- Your provincial legislature
- Ballots
- 1
- Who picks the leader
- The legislature elects the Premier
- Independent candidates
- Yes, one seat at most
- How often
- Every 5 years. Same day as national in 2024
- Vote at another station
- Yes, but only in your own province
By-election
- You elect
- A new (Ward councillor A person chosen by the voters of one ward to speak for that area on the council. You vote for them by name.)
- Who picks the leader
- No new mayor
- Independent candidates
- Yes
- How often
- When a ward seat is empty
- Vote at another station
- No. Only voters in that ward
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How do local elections compare?
- Council seats in 2026
- 10 526 seats
- Councils
- 205 local, 44 district and 8 metro councils
- Ballots
- 2 in a metro, 3 everywhere else
- Independent ward candidates
- 621
- Who picks the mayor
- The council
National and provincial
National election
- (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.)
- 400 in the National Assembly
- (Ballot paper The paper you mark with an X to vote. You get 2 in a metro and 3 everywhere else.)
- 2 in 2024: national and regional
- Who picks the leader
- The Assembly elects the President
- How often
- Every 5 years. Last held on 29 May 2024
Provincial election
- Legislatures
- 9, each with 30 to 80 members
- Ballots
- 1 for your province
- Who picks the leader
- The legislature elects the Premier
- Not elected by voters
- The NCOP
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By-elections and other votes
By-elections
- How often
- 112 a year on average, over the past 15 years
- Where
- In one (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.), when its (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) becomes empty
- When
- Within 90 days after the seat becomes empty
- (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.)
- Does not elect a mayor
Other votes
- Kinds of election
- 3: national, provincial and municipal
- National referendum
- The President can call one
- Provincial referendum
- A Premier can call one in their province
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