Readiness for Voter Registration Weekend and 2026 Local Government Elections

Video The joint meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and the Select Committee on Security and Justice received a briefing from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on preparations for the 2026 Local Government Elections and the upcoming voter registration weekend. The IEC outlined the prevailing electoral environment, noting declining trust in political institutions and concerns about voter turnout. It briefed Members on election readiness, voter registration plans, voter education campaigns, electoral staffing, technological systems, security arrangements and amendments to the Electoral Code of Conduct aimed at addressing misinformation and disinformation. Members engaged extensively with the Commission on the functionality of Voter Management Devices (VMDs), online voter registration systems and contingency measures should technological failures occur. Members asked about previous system outages, the accessibility of online registration for voters in rural areas and the challenges associated with one-time password (OTP) verification for voters without access to functional mobile phones. Members also sought clarity on the testing of electoral systems and requested that the results be shared with Parliament. Concerns were raised regarding the recruitment and training of electoral staff, including the balance between experienced election workers and unemployed graduates, the employment of teachers, vetting procedures and the management of staff fatigue during elections. Members further questioned the Commission on election security, the storage and transportation of election materials, the integrity of ballot-paper handling processes and safeguards against electoral fraud. A significant portion of the discussion focused on transparency and dispute-resolution mechanisms. Members emphasised the need for clear escalation procedures where disputes arise at voting stations and requested that political parties be provided with contact details for relevant IEC officials to enable the rapid resolution of disputes during election operations. Questions were also raised about whether political parties should be permitted to observe the arrival and storage of election materials before distribution to voting stations. The IEC explained that improvements had been made to electoral technology systems and that independent testing was underway. It indicated that executive summaries of testing results could be made available to Parliament. The Commission explained that online registration systems had been adapted following engagements with political parties and maintained that OTP verification remained a necessary safeguard against unauthorised voter registration transactions. On dispute resolution, the IEC outlined the escalation process from presiding officers to area managers, municipal electoral officers, provincial offices and the national office. It undertook to ensure that relevant contact details were available to party liaison structures. Regarding election materials, the Commission stressed that security considerations required certain storage arrangements to remain confidential, but emphasised that comprehensive ballot reconciliation and auditing measures existed to ensure accountability and transparency. Chairperson Mkhize noted that the Commission had provided useful clarification on many of the issues raised by Members. He proposed that the IEC return to Parliament to provide further briefings on election-material security measures, online voter registration challenges and dispute-resolution mechanisms. He also supported a proposal that the committees undertake joint oversight activities during future voter registration weekends. Members welcomed the Commission's explanations and acknowledged the progress made in election preparations. However, they emphasised the need for continued engagement on issues relating to online voter registration, election security, dispute resolution, voting district changes and public confidence in the electoral process. Chairperson Chabane agreed with the summary and proposed way forward. He acknowledged the work undertaken by the IEC and indicated that the committees would facilitate a further engagement with the Commission, potentially including a joint oversight visit.