IEC: 3.5 million voters cast ballots by 10am as eThekwini ballot theft probed

About 3.5 million South Africans had voted by 10am in the 2026 local government elections, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported. Deputy Chief Electoral Officer for Electoral Operations Masego Sheburi said 98% of the country’s 23,996 voting stations opened at 7am and all were operational by 9am, although protests and bad weather caused some delays. Gauteng recorded the highest early turnout, with 895,000 voters. The IEC is investigating the theft of unused, unmarked ballots and the validation stamp from a polling station in Ward 2 of eThekwini.