South Africa’s electoral commission bans campaigning after midnight
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE
South Africa’s electoral commission has ordered parties, independent candidates and activists to stop all campaigning at midnight on Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday’s 4 November municipal elections. Public meetings, demonstrations and door-to-door campaigning will then be banned to preserve the freedom and secrecy of the vote, according to its president, Mosotho Moepya, quoted by TimesLIVE.
Political parties, independent candidates and their South African supporters must stop all campaigning at midnight on Tuesday, ahead of the opening of polling stations on Wednesday for the 2026 municipal elections, Mosotho Moepya, president of the South African Electoral Commission (IEC), reiterated. The ban covers door-to-door canvassing, rallies, demonstrations and any mobilisation operation in particular.
Polling stations will open at 7am on Wednesday. Voters must present a valid South African identity document and mark their ballot in the booth. Photographing a completed ballot is prohibited, as are partisan symbols and attempts to influence voters inside or in the immediate vicinity of polling stations, Mosotho Moepya said. Voters may, however, wear clothing in their party’s colours.
The South African Electoral Commission is setting these rules on the eve of the vote, after a ban on demonstrations on election day was announced by the South African police on 2 November 2026.
