 have agreed that municipal officials deployed after the 2026 local elections must be selected on merit alone, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said on Wednesday.){kind=link}
By Akani Nkuna
Parties in the government of national unity (GNU) have agreed that municipal officials deployed after the 2026 local elections must be selected on merit alone, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a ward handover ceremony by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) in Centurion, Hlabisa said the consensus aimed to select top leaders within parties to head municipalities, bolstering service delivery and enforcing by-laws.
“All political parties in the GNU who are governing the local government space have agreed that come 2026, the deployment must be based on merit, nothing else. The deployment of political leadership must meet certain competencies,” he said.
“We may not prescribed a degree or diploma, but the person must be competent enough to comprehend the annual financial statements, to comprehend the report by the Auditor General, and [understand] what needs to be done.”
.Hlabisa said stakeholders, including traditional leaders and ward committees, must lead efforts to implement inclusive policies that prioritise residents’ needs.
He said mobilisation by all parties must adhere to legal frameworks and principles, ensuring fair and dignified elections, adding that parties should deploy officials with a strong commitment to serve residents in rural and urban areas alike.
“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,” Hlabisa said.
He said the ministry, working with the IEC, had introduced measures to protect the information environment and uphold election integrity, including regular communication of election details.
He said accessible channels for citizens to verify information would counter disinformation that could erode trust and undermine results.
“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,” he said.
The wards handover forms part of the formal election preparation chain in which the MDB finalises ward boundaries and transfers them to the IEC ahead of the 2026 local government elections. The handover confirms the geographic building blocks the IEC will use to finalise aligned voting districts and plan registration and election logistics.
MDB Chairperson Thabo Manyoni said the board had demarcated wards in line with the Municipal Structures Act despite challenges, such as dividing traditional areas, balancing community interests, meeting legal requirements, and adjusting to municipal changes.
He said demarcation in KwaZulu-Natal province had been delayed in some wards due to court cases, adding that the board would await rulings before proceeding and that the process would match the rigor applied elsewhere.
“Despite these difficulties, we remain steadfast in our mandate to delivery ward boundaries that are fair, transparent and reflective of our constitutional responsibilities. Not all wards are being finalised today, in KZN there are cases that before the court,” Manyoni said.
IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya said elections must represent every geographic area to ensure equal participation and reflect the people’s will.
“When we do this work, we must listen. We must reflect and we must, as part of the work that we do, take into account that which our citizens and those who express their voices through their X’s, we must ensure that they do so in a manner that brings dignity to them and expresses their will very clearly,” he said.
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