The Eastern Cape government says the province is ready for the 2026 Local Government Elections scheduled for Wednesday, 4 November, with 4 979 voting stations identified across the province.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC Zolile Williams confirmed the province’s state of readiness in a media statement issued on 30 October.
The voting stations include schools, churches, municipal halls, temporary voting centres and mobile stations.
Williams said CoGTA had been coordinating election preparations and supporting the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) through the Provincial Election Task Team (PETT), established in March 2026.
As part of the preparations, CoGTA provided the IEC with 4 868 lights for voting stations that may not have electricity during the election period.
Challenges being monitored
The province has identified several potential hotspot areas and challenges that are receiving attention.
These include road conditions, electricity supply, demarcation issues and water shedding.
Government departments and other stakeholders have held several meetings to assess voting infrastructure, access to voting stations and outstanding issues ahead of election day.
A further review of the province’s readiness was conducted on 23 October.
Williams said considerable progress had been made but stressed that continued cooperation was needed to address outstanding matters.
Call for peaceful elections
The MEC called on government departments, political parties, stakeholders and communities to work together to ensure peaceful and credible elections.
He also urged political tolerance and constructive engagement ahead of voting day.
The PETT was scheduled to conclude its coordination role at a meeting on 29 October, with further election monitoring to take place through Provincial and District Joint Operations Centres led by security clusters.
The 2026 Local Government Elections will take place on Wednesday, 4 November 2026.
