President Cyril Ramaphosa. Pic ThePresidency
Thokozile Mnguni
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that South Africa’s Local Government Elections will be held on 4 November 2026.
The announcement was made today during closing remarks at the Extended Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) meeting held at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
A national voter registration weekend will be held on 20–21 June 2026 to boost voter participation and address voter apathy ahead of the polls.
The meeting brought together national government leaders, premiers, mayors and municipal managers in an expanded PCC session focused on strengthening coordination across all spheres of government.
A key focus of the discussions was South Africa’s ongoing water crisis. Government has prioritised immediate interventions to stabilise failing water systems, alongside longer-term reforms under the National Water Crisis Committee framework.
Ramaphosa said municipalities are under pressure due to ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance, illegal connections, weak monitoring systems and institutional instability.
He also highlighted rising municipal debt owed to water boards, as well as high levels of non-revenue water, with an average of 34% of water purchased in metros not billed, and losses in some areas approaching 50%.
While noting improvements in access since the democratic transition, Ramaphosa said service reliability remains a major concern, with many communities still experiencing repeated disruptions.
He outlined reforms under Operation Vulindlela, including institutional and legislative changes in the water sector, improved water-use licensing processes and the reinstatement of national monitoring systems for water and sanitation performance.
The National Treasury’s Metro Trading Services Reform programme was also highlighted, aimed at improving water, electricity and waste services in metros, restoring financial sustainability and attracting infrastructure investment.
Ramaphosa stressed stronger accountability at municipal level, saying service revenue must be ring-fenced for maintenance and infrastructure upgrades, and warned that weak financial controls continue to undermine delivery.
He also called for the professionalisation of local government, with merit-based appointments and stronger technical capacity in engineering, finance and project management.
All spheres of government were instructed to improve coordination on infrastructure delivery ahead of the 2026 local elections.