The IEC has registered 62 more political parties following the 2024 national and provincial elections.
(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has registered 62 more political parties following the 2024 national and provincial elections.
This brings the total number of registered political parties to 508, a number that may still increase.
IEC’s Masego Shiburi told journalists on Tuesday during a media briefing that 14 of the new parties were registered in the period between August 2025 and October 2025.
Of the 508 registered political parties, 295 are registered to contest at the national level, meaning they can contest national elections, all provincial polls, and district and municipal elections.
Meanwhile, 404 are registered to contest at either provincial, district, or metro level.
These numbers also do not include those who wish to contest elections as independent candidates.
In previous elections, South Africans have raised concerns over the number of political parties in the country.
Their concerns were that some parties do not see the light of day in parliament, provincial legislatures, and municipal councils.
In the 2024 South African general elections, 70 political parties contested, but only 18 won seats in the National Assembly or provincial legislatures — meaning 52 parties did not secure any representation.
Some political commentators and South Africans have viewed this as a waste of votes.
Shiburi also announced that if all goes to plan, the local government election will likely be held on the first Wednesday of November 2026.
He said in their last meeting with the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, he had indicated that he was consulting with the cabinet on the dates.
“The planning scenario considered a number of things, examinations for the matriculants, examinations for tertiary institutions, inclement weather in most parts of the country around that period, and at the end, internally we had three possible scenarios,” said Shiburi.
“But because the commission does not determine the date of an election, as it has always done, its role is to stand ready on the first day on which an election may be called. If we do not stand ready on that day, we are invaluable in taking away the decision-making from the minister,” he said.
“So we stand ready to administer an election on the first Wednesday of November, assuming the election will be in November. If the minister determines the date late in November or early in December or sometime, we will adjust our plans.”
He added that the commission’s allocation for next year is in the region of R2.1 billion; however, they were in consultation with the national treasury to determine whether, even with the other competing priorities in the country, they may be able to avail of more savings.
“On our part, we have manufactured savings, which the Treasury has permitted us to get over to the next financial year, but we are still in discussion with with National Treasury,” he said.
The commission also announced its new commissioners. Joyce Pitso has been announced as a new commissioner for seven years for her first term, while Masotho Moepya and Judge Dhaya Pillay have been appointed for another seven-year term after serving in the last term.