Cabinet to voters who lost their IDs: replace them before 4 November
Home Affairs offices and more than 450 bank branches are taking identity document applications, and special votes close on 12 October at 5pm.
Cabinet has urged every eligible voter whose identity document has been lost or damaged to replace it before the Local Government Elections on 4 November 2026.
Briefing the media in Pretoria on Tuesday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said affected voters can apply at a Home Affairs office or at any of the more than 450 participating bank branches.
“Applications for special votes for the 2026 Local Government Elections are open and will close on 12 October 2026 at 5pm,” Ntshavheni said.
A special vote allows a registered voter who cannot reach their voting station on Election Day to cast a ballot in advance. Ntshavheni said it is open to voters with disabilities, pregnant women, elderly people and people with work-related commitments.
The election date was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Cabinet said last month that preparations are progressing, with coordination mechanisms in place across all three spheres of government, and it welcomed measures to strengthen voter participation, combat misinformation and ensure operational readiness.
Ntshavheni said Cabinet encourages all South Africans, especially young people and first-time voters, to use their vote.
“Every vote matters and helps to keep our democracy strong,” she said. Cabinet also appealed to political parties and independent candidates to uphold the electoral code of conduct and exercise political tolerance.
Earlier this month the Electoral Commission announced that 136 790 candidates met the statutory requirements to contest the elections. Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said 98 219 were nominated by parties to represent wards and 38 571 to represent parties in the proportional representation election, with 621 independents nominated for wards.
According to the IEC, the candidates will contest seats across the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities. The commission disqualified 5 096 candidates after the statutory reviews, including confirmation that all contestants had paid the applicable deposits and that all candidates were properly nominated.
This account is drawn from the government’s own summary of the Cabinet briefing rather than the full record of the proceedings.
Source: SAnews (South African Government News Agency), Cabinet urges those who lost their IDs to replace them before elections, https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/cabinet-urges-those-who-lost-their-ids-replace-them-elections
