The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says the counting, tallying and verification of votes continued throughout the night as the country awaits the final outcome of the 2026 Local Government Elections.

Speaking during an election results update, the IEC’s Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, said the Commission expects to process 66 073 result slips from local municipality, metropolitan and district council elections across 23 696 voting stations nationwide.

Mamabolo confirmed that approximately 23 444 result slips, representing 35.5% of the expected total, had been scanned into the results system, while 22 983 (34.8%) had been captured.

Of the captured result slips, 16 791 (25.4%) had already undergone independent auditing. By 09:00, results from 18 local municipalities, representing 7%, had been concluded.

The IEC has appealed to political parties, independent candidates and their supporters to remain patient while the counting and results-capturing processes continue.

The Commission has also urged candidates and political roleplayers to refrain from sharing unverified information or disinformation about the results, warning that this could create unnecessary tensions, incite violence and potentially lead to property damage and injuries.

The IEC says the verification process remains ongoing as it works towards ensuring that the final results are accurate and credible.