Elections 2026
How is your municipality doing?
We are doing in depth reports on municipalities across the country ahead of the 2026 local elections.
Voter registration at 64%, four months before elections
Proportion of eligible voters who are registered has not changed since 2021
Chart by The Outlier. Text by GroundUp Staff.
Charts | 26 June 2026
Joburg watches R10-billion flow down the drain
Auditor-General publishes scathing report on City’s water management
By Seth Thorne
Brief | 24 June 2026
Water is so close, yet so far for this Joburg neighbourhood
Thembelihle residents struggle daily to get water, but they watch dozens of water tankers fill up and then drive past
Text by Seth Thorne. Photos by Ihsaan Haffejee.
News | 23 June 2026
In photos: Registration for elections 2026 gets off to a slow start
But you can also register online
Photo Essay | 21 June 2026
Msunduzi cannot say how much it spent on this vandalised community centre
The municipality failed to complete the project and left it to ruin
News | 17 June 2026
Elections 2026: Elundini municipality’s trail of unfinished projects
Millions have been spent on government offices, a vehicle testing station, a community hall, a sports field and electronic billboards - all incomplete
Feature | 28 May 2026
Elections 2026: Langeberg municipality accused of hiding details of R60-million contract
The municipality has also failed to obey an order to release a report on a 2022 water crisis
News | 20 May 2026
Joburg’s financial woes laid bare in scathing letter from finance minister Godongwana
Mayor Dada Morero insists there is “no cause for concern”
By Seth Thorne
News | 7 May 2026
Why we should change how Cape Town elects ward committees
Movement for CARE demands public voting rights ahead of local government elections
By Nick Fabré
Opinion | 5 May 2026