KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) reported a preliminary voter turnout of 48.7% in the 2026 Local Government Elections, surpassing the national average of 45.8%, as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) continued processing results on Thursday, 5 November 2026.
Provincial Electoral Officer Ntombifuthi Masinga told a briefing that at the time of reporting, about 18% of KZN’s results had been captured in the system and 12% audited. However, this figure shifted later in the day with the IEC national chairperson Mosotho Moepya confirming that over 60% of the expected 66,073 result slips nationally had been captured by 5pm.
By 09:00 that morning, the IEC stated it had scanned 23,444 result slips from KZN, representing 35.5% of the total expected, with 22,983 captured and 16,791 independently audited to ensure accuracy. Moepya highlighted the critical role of auditing, saying, “The Commission further reports that about 40,202 result slips have been scanned, while 32,238 have undergone independent auditing as part of the verification and quality assurance processes.”
Masinga underscored that the voting results remain provisional until fully audited, noting, “Until the results have been audited by an independent firm of auditors to confirm that what we have in our system matches what came out of the voting station, that result is not available on the dashboard.”
Polling stations had closed Wednesday night, with counting continuing overnight into Thursday. Preliminary turnout figures positioning KZN above the national average mark a notable point in the province’s electoral engagement.
The IEC has set Friday, 6 November at 17:00 as the deadline for parties and independent candidates to lodge objections to results under section 65 of the Electoral Act. Final results are expected by Sunday after objections are considered and audits completed.
This election cycle shows typical complexities of result processing: scanning, capturing, auditing, and objection handling all contribute to when final tallies can be confirmed. KZN’s higher-than-average turnout may impact provincial political dynamics but official conclusions await the finalised results.
Cape Flats reporters will continue monitoring updates as the IEC awaits the closure of the objections window and final verification processes.