Driven by money or duty? Why South Africa is seeing 43% surge in election candidates

The IEC has received significantly more nominations for the November local government elections, with an analyst linking the increase to unemployment, political confidence and a changing electoral landscape.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has recorded a 43% increase in candidate nominations for the 2026 local government elections, with 142,072 candidates set to contest 10,526 councillor seats.

The number of nominations is up from 99,000 in the 2021 local government elections, with independent political analyst Goodenough Mashego saying the increase could be linked to unemployment and growing confidence among South Africans to participate in politics.

Speaking to IOL, Mashego said the figures challenged the perception that South Africans were becoming increasingly apathetic towards politics.

Mashego said the increase in people seeking to become councillors was a positive sign and suggested that concerns about voter apathy did not necessarily reflect sentiment on the ground.

He said the increase showed that more people believed they could represent their communities and take on leadership roles.

“The fact that ordinary South Africans feel that they can go out and represent their communities, it really says that power is returning to the people,” he said.

He said unemployment could also be contributing to the increase, as some people may see political office as a source of financial security.

“That might also be speaking to the level of unemployment in South Africa because people know that once you become a councillor, you are guaranteed five years' salary,” Mashego said.

He said the motivations for contesting elections would differ, with some candidates potentially attracted by the income and security that comes with serving as a councillor.

Mashego said the increase in nominations could not simply be attributed to the number of political parties in the country.

He argued that more individuals were becoming confident that they could represent their communities without necessarily having the backing of an established political organisation.

“People are now learning that being a councillor does not really need a political party, it just needs you to be able to know what the community needs and to be able to lead in that community,” he said.

Mashego said the figures nevertheless pointed to a more fragmented political landscape, with smaller parties and independent candidates increasingly believing they could challenge established political parties at ward level.