Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa: Wards handover ceremony

Programme Director;
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), Mr Mosotho Moepya;
Commissioners of the IEC;
Chairperson of the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB), Mr Thabo Manyoni;
Leadership of the National House and Traditional Leaders
Members of the MDB;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is an honour to address this gathering, as the Municipal Demarcation Board has formally handed over the final ward boundaries to the Independent Electoral Commission. Today’s ceremony is a pivotal constitutional moment and a practical milestone: the conclusion of the 2024/25 ward delimitation cycle and the commencement of the IEC’s detailed operational preparations for the next local government elections. The handover occurs under the theme “Democracy in Motion – Shaping Your Wards Towards Free and Fair Elections,” reminding us that credible, inclusive and transparent elections rest on sound technical foundations and broad societal trust. The MDB has delivered both the technical rigour and the participatory approach required for this stage, and we recognise the professionalism of the IEC in receiving these ward delimitations and gearing up for the work that follows.

Municipal wards are the building blocks of local democracy and the everyday arena of governance. They give practical meaning to representation, ensure that councillors carry defined responsibilities for communities of roughly comparable voter sizes, and help municipalities plan, allocate resources and account for delivery. When wards are properly delimited, accountability is strengthened: citizens know who to approach, councillors can be held to performance, and service planning, whether for water security, sanitation, energy, roads, waste management or human settlements, can be aligned to real communities rather than arbitrary lines. Wards are therefore not just cartographic outcomes; they are instruments for equity and inclusion, shaping how communities participate in decisions and how municipalities respond to needs.

We also acknowledge candidly that demarcation is a complex exercise, and that it sometimes produces unease or even unhappiness in affected areas. The MDB’s process included extensive awareness-raising, technical consultations, and nationwide public engagement, from the education drive beginning in mid-2024 through the municipal planning sessions and the April–June 2025 public meetings, to the publication of drafts and the objection windows. The Board also considered deferred municipal boundary cases with care. It was resolved this year not to redetermine municipal outer boundaries ahead of the 2026 elections, to maintain stability, forward delimitation and election readiness. These are not simple choices; they require balancing community views, service realities and legal criteria. I want to recognise communities and stakeholders who participated constructively, and I appeal, especially where concerns persist, to traditional leaders, councillors, political parties and civil society to help socialise the new wards and to channel objections and adjustments through lawful processes. Discontent must never tip into disenfranchisement or disruption. We have a shared responsibility to protect free and fair elections and the stability of our municipalities.

With this handover, the IEC triggers several critical downstream tasks. First, it must align its network of approximately 23,000 voting districts with the new wards, communicating and, where necessary, re-registering affected voters so that every person is registered in their ward of ordinary residence. Second, it must secure and confirm venues for registration and voting, plan logistics for staff and materials, and address accessibility for persons with disabilities and for remote or rural communities. Third, it must undertake thorough communication, combat misinformation, and ensure that citizens understand timelines, registration requirements, and voting procedures. Finally, it must prepare for special voting, party registration and candidate nomination processes, and set out the election timetable once the date has been proclaimed. All of this work is anchored in the constitutional requirement that municipal councils serve for five years and that elections be held within ninety days of the end of that term. The current term expires on 1 November 2026; elections must therefore be held between 2 November 2026 and 30 January 2027. Our consultations with the IEC are already underway, and we will proclaim a date that safeguards stability, fairness and operational readiness. I urge all eligible South Africans to register and to vote in the ward of their residence.

The government has put in place comprehensive coordination to support the elections. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Municipal Elections, with its technical structures, meets regularly to ensure readiness across the system. The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster is engaged to secure peaceful, lawful, and safe electoral processes, including early warning, risk assessments, protection of infrastructure, and rapid response capabilities where needed. We are working with Home Affairs to ensure identity document availability and data integrity; with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and GCIS to amplify accurate information; with the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training to align calendars and minimise disruptions; and with Statistics South Africa and National Treasury to underpin planning and fiscal prudence. These arrangements will be maintained with discipline through 2026 so that operational tasks, from voter education to logistics, from security deployments to results management, are executed without compromise.

Beyond the mechanics of elections, this handover invites us to reflect on the future of local government. Our mandate at Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is to make every municipality work. That requires stabilising administrations, strengthening governance and financial management, and professionalising the sector. We are reviewing the White Paper on Local Government to refresh policy, clarify roles and responsibilities, and align funding models with realities on the ground. We are advancing merit-based appointments, robust consequence management, and ethical leadership. We are deepening community participation through the District Development Model, improving integrated development planning and ensuring that ward-based planning is tethered to the communities defined by the new boundaries. And we are honestly confronting the challenge of coalition instability by pursuing legislative reforms that promote continuity, accountability, and service delivery while respecting democratic outcomes. All of this work is anchored in the principle that municipalities exist to serve communities through reliable services, transparent governance, and responsive leadership.

We are also mindful that municipal performance depends on infrastructure and on resilience. Many municipalities face water insecurity, sanitation backlogs, load constraints, and ageing roads and public facilities. Spatial inequalities persist, with settlements and traditional areas sometimes sprawling beyond the capacity of single wards to encompass them in a manner that meets the norm derived from registered voters. In delimiting wards, the MDB must take into account identifiable boundaries, avoid community fragmentation where possible, and keep ward voter numbers within 15% of the municipal norm. This was technical work with profound social implications, and it intersects with planning for clinics and schools, precinct policing, waste sites, and emergency services. As we implement the new wards, we must ensure that ward committees are capacitated, community dialogues are held, and municipal planning instruments are updated to reflect the new geography. In turn, fiscal choices must continue to hold down recurrent costs, such as increases in councillor numbers, so that scarce funds flow to the infrastructure that citizens can feel and trust.

I want to thank the MDB for its transparent engagements, its clear communication products and knowledge hub, and its willingness to go beyond minimum legislative requirements to enhance public participation. The Board’s public announcements,

provincial gazette notices, and objections processes have given South Africans meaningful ways to engage with draft wards, and the decision to stabilise municipal outer boundaries ahead of the 2026 elections will provide certainty for the IEC’s downstream work. Likewise, the IEC’s “Road to the 2026 Local Government Elections” communication will help stakeholders understand the sequence and dependencies, from the publication of councillor formulae and MEC determinations to ward delimitation, and finally to election operations. In the months ahead, this clarity will remain essential. Municipalities, SALGA, and traditional leaders must collaborate with IEC field teams, open public facilities for registration events, and support communication in all official languages.

We must also safeguard the information environment. Elections worldwide increasingly face the risk of disinformation and coordinated attempts to undermine trust. Our approach is to communicate early and often, publish timetables and procedures clearly, correct inaccuracies quickly, and design accessible pathways for citizens to verify information through trusted channels. The IEC’s preparations include public education, voter registration drives, and transparent processes for capturing and auditing results. These are complemented by the IMC’s coordination with communications entities to amplify truthful information and with law enforcement to address unlawful conduct. Our goal is simple: an election in which the rules are known, the processes are transparent, and the results are accepted by all parties in good faith.

At the heart of these arrangements is a commitment to inclusion. We want every eligible South African, young and old, urban and rural, in dense metros and in distant villages, to be able to participate. That requires accessible voting stations, transport and safety

planning, accommodation for persons with disabilities, and communications that reach the hard-to-reach. It requires that traditional leaders and ward committees mobilise participation respectfully and lawfully. It requires that municipalities undertake ward-level dialogues on service priorities so that the mandate conferred in 2026 translates into delivery in 2027 and beyond. And it requires that parties put forward candidates of integrity and competence who are ready to govern in the public interest.

We must remember, too, that elections are a means to an end. The end is functioning municipalities that fulfil constitutional objects of local government: democratic and accountable local governance; sustainable provision of services; social and economic development; a safe and healthy environment; and community involvement. Wards help us organise that work; elections renew the mandate to do it. If we keep this in sight, the months ahead will not be defined only by dates and logistics, but by a renewed social compact at the local level, between communities, councillors, officials and partners—to fix what is broken and build what is needed. That compact must be grounded in the District Development Model, informed by sound data, and driven by relentless execution against plans.

Allow me to express gratitude to all the role-players that brought us to this point: the MDB team and commissioners, the IEC leadership and staff, municipal planners and administrators across the nine provinces, traditional leaders who opened space for dialogue, civil society organisations that enriched the process, and communities that participated with seriousness and care. I also want to thank the Portfolio Committees of Parliament for their oversight engagements, and the provincial COGTA MECs for diligently applying the councillor determination formulae so that ward delimitation could proceed timeously. This level of coordination across spheres and institutions is what the Constitution envisages and what citizens expect of us.

As Minister, I undertake that the proclamation of the election date will follow due consultation with the IEC and the President, and that the date will be set in a way that protects the integrity of the process and respects the country’s educational and institutional calendars. Once proclaimed, the timetable will be published, and all stakeholders will be expected to meet their obligations with discipline and transparency. We will maintain the momentum of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, keep communities informed, and ensure that the preparatory milestones are met on schedule.

Let us therefore use this handover as a springboard. Today, we mark the completion of a demanding cycle of ward delimitation; tomorrow, we intensify preparations for voter registration, for community awareness, and for the practical logistics that bring millions of citizens to voting stations. If we execute faithfully, the 2026 local government elections will renew local democracy with legitimacy and confidence, and every municipality will be better positioned to work for its people.

As we approach the festive season, I wish each of you a safe, restful and joyful holiday with your loved ones. This season invites us to reflect on what binds us together as a nation and to renew our commitment to service, dignity, and hope. May your celebrations be peaceful, may your journeys be safe, and may the New Year bring strength, clarity and unity as we continue the work of building capable, ethical and developmental municipalities. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your families; may 2026 find us ready, together, to deliver the kind of local governance our communities deserve.

I thank you.

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