The IEC's final published candidate list for the November 2026 local government elections

[Politics]Correct

The IEC's final published candidate list for the November 2026 local government elections will contain more than 100,000 candidates.

“Africa, we expect on this occasion more than 100,000 candidates. In a similar election in 2021, we had no fewer than 95,000 candidates. So, on this occasion, our anticipation is that that number will increase.”

Sai Mamabolo · 702 · Early Breakfast · 27 Aug 2026

The verdict· graded 17 Sept

The IEC certified 136,790 candidates for the 4 November 2026 local government elections on 16 September and said it would publish the final lists that day. (Corrected by the desk: the earlier explanation was an undecided draft.)

The claim was that the final candidate list would contain more than 100,000 candidates. The IEC certified 136,790, well above that, and said the lists would be published the same day. The reports give the certified total rather than quoting the published list itself.

3 sources

The event so far

2 predictions from 2 stations

Thu 27 Aug, 05:22702This one
The IEC's final published candidate list for the November 2026 local government elections will contain more than 100,000 candidates.
Sai Mamabolo
Correct
Thu 3 Sep, 07:31Cape Talk
The IEC will formally confirm that 55 political parties are contesting the 2026 local government elections in the Western Cape on 16 September 2026.
The host
Incorrect

A falsifiable call made on live South African radio, extracted from the broadcast transcript and tracked to its outcome against public sources — with its audio receipt. The reader poll is audience sentiment, not odds; there is nothing to wager on. How the prediction desk works