IEC conducts external audit of election results system ahead of November 4 polls

The Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa has embarked on an independent audit of its Election Results System as the nation prepares for the upcoming 2026 Local Government Elections. This system is responsible for capturing, collating, and allocating election results to political parties and candidates. Transparency is a key aspect of this audit, as the IEC has opened up the system to political parties and candidates for review.

Four political parties - the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), and uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP) - have nominated ICT experts to take part in this process. The review commenced on October 5, 2026, and is set to conclude on October 12, 2026. Political parties and other interested stakeholders had until September 30, 2026, to nominate their experts.

This audit is part of the IEC's efforts to ensure transparency, credibility, and confidence in the electoral process leading up to the Local Government Elections. The IEC remains committed to administering the 2026 Local Government Elections in a manner that is credible, transparent, inclusive, and compliant with the law. In June 2026, former President Jacob Zuma's MK party disputed accusations that its attempt to overturn the 2024 election results was driven by frustration.

The party denied claims that a two-hour blackout of the IEC's live results dashboard could have affected the election's integrity. Following accusations, the MK party initially filed an urgent application with the Electoral Court to overturn the 2024 election results and to set a new election date within 90 days. However, the MK party later withdrew the case without providing a reason, and it was dismissed by the Constitutional Court last month.

Despite the withdrawal, MK performed well in the 2024 polls, securing the third-largest share of the national vote at 15%. The party contested the elections almost a year after its launch in December 2023, running on a platform of radical economic transformation.