The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says 136,790 candidates have been cleared to contest the 4 November local government elections, the largest field it has certified. The IEC compared this with 95,427 certified candidates at the 2021 municipal elections.
They will compete for 10,526 seats, only slightly more than the 10,478 on offer in 2021, across 8 metropolitan, 44 district and 205 local municipalities, according to the IEC.
The figures below were announced by the IEC in September and have not been re-confirmed with the commission this week.
What the numbers show
The IEC says 98,219 candidates were nominated by parties for ward seats and 38,571 for proportional representation (PR) seats. It also lists 621 independents nominated for ward seats.
The IEC says 5,096 candidates were disqualified after statutory reviews. Nominations closed on 28 August at 5pm, and about 84% were submitted online and 16% manually, according to the commission.
The IEC issued notices to 221 parties and independent candidates.
How the contest is structured
Voters will elect councillors in 8 metros, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities. The 10,526 seats include both ward seats and PR seats, the IEC says.
The seat count is up by 48 from 2021, while the number of certified candidates is up by 41,363, according to the IEC's figures. That means more candidates are chasing almost the same number of seats.
