MTHATHA, Eastern Cape — As the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE 2026) unfold, the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality has emerged as a highly contested battleground in the Eastern Cape. With special voting officially underway, political parties are intensifying their campaigns, most notably the United Democratic Movement (UDM), which is strategizing to wrestle control of the municipality from the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
The political landscape in the region is highly competitive. Alongside the ANC and the UDM, several other parties are vying for the local council. These include the African Transformation Movement (ATM), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and a new contender, PAGAMA Eastern Cape, which has fielded a mayoral candidate specifically for the King Sabata Dalindyebo local municipality.
The special voting period, which spans two days, is expected to see more than 10,000 voters casting their ballots in the municipality. However, recent severe floods that impacted both the King Sabata Dalindyebo and neighboring Nyandeni municipalities have created logistical hurdles for the electoral commission.
Mulelo, the regional supervisor for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in the OR Tambo region, confirmed that one voting station in the Isikini area remains inaccessible after a bridge was washed away by the floods.
“We are working with the municipality to ensure that access is made,” Mulelo explained, noting that teams have been dispatched to scout alternative routes for material delivery. Voters registered at another station have been diverted to alternative polling stations, which has caused some minor inconvenience for those affected.
Addressing concerns about certain stations that did not open on the first day, Mulelo clarified that the closures were not due to logistical glitches or flood damage. “There are voting stations that are not open today because there are no approved special votes,” he stated.
He added that the IEC is actively conducting home visits for approved special voters to ensure they can exercise their democratic rights from their homes. While the number of approved special votes is relatively low, the commission is fully equipped to accommodate all registered voters over the two-day special voting window.
Despite the weather-related challenges, the overall voting process is proceeding smoothly across the OR Tambo region. Mulelo noted that, unlike previous election cycles, there have been no reports of service delivery protests disrupting the electoral process in the area.
On the ground at Mthatha General Hospital, voter turnout among patients and staff has been highly visible. Among the voters was an elderly woman with mobility challenges who was temporarily escorted home after realizing she had forgotten her identity document, with expectations that she would return to cast her vote once the issue was resolved.
