Ramaphosa declares 4 November 2026 a public holiday for local elections
The Presidency has declared election day a public holiday, but voters will still have to cast their ballots in the wards where they are registered.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared Wednesday, 4 November 2026, a public holiday to coincide with the local government elections.
The Presidency announced the declaration on Monday, 16 September 2026. The move, made under Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act of 1994, clears the calendar for voters across the country to go to the polls.
Ramaphosa urged South Africans to use the day to exercise their democratic right and civic duty by voting in an election that determines who represents them at local level and influences the service delivery they receive where they live.
Where you can vote
The Presidency also reminded voters that they will only be able to cast their ballots at polling stations in the wards where they are registered.
That means anyone who travels on 4 November will not be able to transfer their vote to a station away from their designated ward. The reminder matters in a country where many people work far from home and where the election falls on a weekday.
The Presidency said Ramaphosa also urged employers to make provision for employees to exercise their constitutional right to vote on 4 November.
Africa Check cautions voters on political spin
Ahead of the elections, Africa Check has warned voters to look past political spin and ask sharper questions of the parties courting them.
According to Africa Check, politicians often frame achievements against vague baselines. It pointed to the EFF’s claim that local government is in a deep and worsening crisis, and to DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis’s promise to fix what has been broken.
ANC’s Dada Morero countered that the situation means the party has not collapsed and must be doing something right. Africa Check’s advice to voters is to ask: compared with when?
Big numbers can also mislead, Africa Check said. The DA pledged 200,000 jobs in Johannesburg, but with 1.07 million unemployed, that is less than a fifth of the total. Numbers can be true but still mislead, it cautioned.
Other tactics it flagged include vague promises such as reliable water, reporting activity instead of outcomes, and campaigning on issues beyond municipal control.
Voters have been urged to ask: by when, out of how many, who is responsible, and what happened to past promises.
What it means for voters
The public holiday removes one practical barrier to voting, but it does not change the registration rules that govern where a ballot can be cast. For voters who have moved since the last registration drive, or who work in a different province from where they are registered, the reminder from the Presidency is the detail that will decide whether their vote counts on the day.
The local government elections will be held on 4 November 2026.
Source: The Citizen, Ramaphosa declares 4 November 2026 a public holiday for local elections
