The IEC has been allocated a budget of R3.1 billion, including the R1 billion provided during the 2025 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement for the upcoming elections
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is making extensive preparations for the 2026 local government elections with electoral body’s chairperson Mosotho Moepya describing the preparations as being in “earnest”.
Briefing the Home Affairs Portfolio Committee on Tuesday, Moepya said they received a report on the survey commissioned concerning the possible participation by voters and challenges.
“This requires of us to put extra ordinary amount of work to ensure we reach the voters, get the voters to look forward to registering and vote. Work is underway earnestly in relation to the upcoming elections,” Moepya said.
IEC CFO Dawn Mbatha said the commission received R3.1 billion, including the R1bn provided during the 2025 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement for the upcoming elections.
Mbatha said R1bn will be spent on administration, R1.4bn electoral operations, R23 million political funding and R439m outreach programmes.
Despite this initial budget, the IEC anticipates overall expenditures of R4.7bn and the budget shortfall will be covered by the R1.6bn in savings from the prior years.
Mbatha told the MPs that the allocated R3.1bn will be drawn down to continue with preparations for the elections, and the R1.6bn in savings will be availed to the IEC after the auditing of the 2025/26 finances.
“We are in constant discussions with Treasury in terms of managing the cash flow,” she said.
Earlier, Moepya said the IEC has commissioned a lot of community engagement.
“We have employed over 830 municipal outreach coordinators country wide. They are already in the field and coordinating work with communities, faith-based institutions, civil society, and all electoral stakeholders.”
In March the IEC launched the school democracy programme, which will run until September, and the tertiary institutions campaign has been rolled out to encourage higher education institution communities to register and participate in the elections.
There is also an education theatre campaign for the civic and democracy education across society.
“We have begun work with the SABC with short video messaging about the voter registration and voting,” Moepya said, adding that they hoped to also collaborate with identified community radio stations.
IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the IEC has partnered with the SABC to produce content that promotes voter registration, including a ten-episode youth programme set to air from May.
Other innovations include a podcast aimed at younger audiences, which will provide insights on the electoral process twice a month.
An expanded social media team will also monitor and engage in online discussions related to the elections.
From a technical standpoint, Mamabolo revealed that the upgrade of their ICT infrastructure is currently at 80% completion.
“This is important because upgrading the technical platform implies improved, security and reliability of our infrastructure.”
He also said they have reviewed the Voter Machine Devices (VMDs) and were finalising a contract of an external auditor to have a second look at VMDs before they were used.
Mamabolo further said they have secured hand-held scanners to work with VMDs to improve scanning of IDs.
“We received part consignment. The balance is to be received before the major electoral event,” he said in an apparent reference to the planned two planned voter registration weekends.
According to Mamabolo the Municipal Demarcation Board has reviewed all wards and handed over all new wards in December 2025.
“There are, however, four municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal where the process was not concluded and handed over to the IEC.”
The report, on wards in eThekwini Metro, Nkosi Langalibalele Dube, Alfred Duma an Mkhambathini local municipalities, is expected before the end of April.
Mamabolo said based on the Municipal Demarcation Board’s report they created new voting stations and voting districts in affected municipalities in consultation with the Municipal Party Liaison Committees.
He also said with the delimitation of wards finalised, there was now targeted registration in new voting districts ahead of the voter registration weekend in June.
Mamabolo told the MPs that following the second voter registration weekend early in August, Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa will proclaim the elections date.
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za