34 new political parties have been registered since the 2024 national and provincial elections.
(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says 34 new political parties have been registered since the 2024 national and provincial elections.
Thirteen of these were registered in the past month alone, bringing the total number of registered parties to 472, IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo told a media briefing on Tuesday.
“Of these, 287 are registered on a national level, while the balance of 185 are either registered provincially or on the district or metro municipal level,” he said.
The surge comes just over a year before the 2026 local government elections, which are due to take place some time between 2 November 2026 and 31 January 2027.
Mamabolo said the IEC would begin consultations in November with unrepresented parties and independent candidates to prepare them for the polls. The sessions will cover election law, contesting requirements and the conversion of votes into seats.
“The current term of municipal councils ends on 2 November 2026. Elections must be held within 90 days of that date, placing the poll between November 2026 and the end of January 2027. The minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs will set the date in consultation with the IEC,” he said.
The chief electoral officer said there were many more parties expected to register before the elections, noting that the IEC had rejected the registration of five parties including ANC member Boy Mamabolo’s Mandela for President.
The party’s application was rejected over concerns that its name and its green-and-black branding could mislead voters into associating it with the ANC. But the IEC head said the five parties could reapply for registration after addressing the concerns raised with them.
The growth in the number of parties comes after the 2024 national elections saw a record 14 886 candidates contesting 887 seats. Eleven independents were on the ballot.
To accommodate the increased number of contestants, the IEC introduced a dual-column national ballot paper for the first time, with more than 90 million ballot papers being printed during a three-week period.
Mamabolo said voter turnout in 2024 stood at 58%, down from 66% in 2019, with 16.2 million South Africans casting ballots. Of these, 1.1 million made use of special voting.
Although registrations are rising, questions about the financial viability of political organisations remain.
At its inaugural political funding symposium in June, the IEC heard calls to extend financial support to unrepresented parties at municipal level to improve inclusivity. Civil society organisations warned that without reform, smaller entrants will continue to struggle to compete with established organisations.
Recent amendments to the funding regime raised the minimum disclosure threshold for donations from R100 000 to R200 000 and doubled the annual donation cap from R15 million to R30 million. Larger parties welcomed the changes, but critics argued that the new rules risk deepening inequality.
The IEC is expected to prepare recommendations for parliament on possible adjustments to the funding system, including proposals to boost the Multi-Party Democracy Fund, which allows private contributions to be shared across represented parties.
Mamabolo said the commission has stepped up its civic education drive following last year’s lower voter turnout. Between April and August, it hosted more than 24 000 face-to-face voter education events. Limpopo recorded the highest number, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
He added that the focus has been on first-time voters and encouraging young people to register. With women making up 55% of the voters’ roll and 57% of those who voted in 2024, the commission has also emphasised gender inclusivity in political participation.
The IEC is consulting on the feasibility of introducing electronic voting, Mamabolo said. The commission has stressed that paper ballots will still be used in the 2026 elections.
Public submissions close in September, after which a green paper will be presented to the minister of home affairs.
The IEC, which secured a clean audit for the fifth consecutive year, said it remained focused on ensuring credible elections.
“Every vote counts, and your voice has the power to shape your community,” Mamabolo said.