South Africa Local Elections: 43 Killed in Political Attacks Before Nov. 4 Vote

South Africa local elections on Wednesday, Nov. 4, follow the deadliest run of political violence in years, with at least 43 people killed in 45 politically motivated attacks between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, according to a report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC). Police say they have flagged 331 voting stations as high-risk, nearly half of them in KwaZulu-Natal.

Special voting for people who cannot reach a polling station on election day begins Monday, Nov. 2, and runs through Tuesday. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has certified 136,790 candidates for 10,526 council seats in 257 municipalities, and approved 2,655,067 special-vote applications, according to a government readiness statement.

Political killings before the South Africa local elections

GI-TOC’s report, “Ballots and bullets,” says the nine-month toll already exceeds every recent full year in its records, including the 30 politically motivated killings in 2021, the last local election year, and the previous highs of 42 in 2019 and 40 in 2022. By a Boston Report calculation, the 2026 total through September is about 39% higher than all of 2025 and more than 40% above 2021. The researchers counted 23 such killings in the same nine months of 2025.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most attacks, 16, followed by Gauteng with 10, The South African reported, citing the GI-TOC data. The deadliest stretch was the June 20-21 voter registration weekend. Violence has continued since September: two African National Congress members were shot dead while campaigning in Umgababa, KwaZulu-Natal, on Oct. 15, days after four ANC youth members were killed at a memorial service in Katlehong, near Johannesburg. In September, three Inkatha Freedom Party ward candidates were killed in separate incidents in KwaZulu-Natal.

Political attacks are part of a wider pattern of contract killings. GI-TOC counted 205 targeted-killing incidents in the period, with organized-crime hits the largest single category at 78.

Where police see the highest risk

National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said on Friday, Oct. 30, that police had identified 331 high-risk voting stations, including 124 in the eThekwini district around Durban and 75 in Johannesburg, SAnews reported. Four provinces, North West, Limpopo, the Northern Cape and the Free State, have none, though they have medium- and low-risk stations.

The police service will lead the operation with support from the South African National Defence Force, metro police and the State Security Agency. Specialized units, including the Special Task Force, tactical response teams, explosives experts and hostage negotiators, are on standby, and roving teams will reinforce provinces where needed. Firearms and dangerous weapons will not be allowed at voting stations. “No person should lose their life or be attacked simply because of their political affiliation,” Masemola said.

KwaZulu-Natal also faces separate unrest. Police obtained an interim court order on Friday against the March and March movement, which has held anti-illegal-immigration protests, after a man was beaten to death during a protest in Durban and vehicles were set on fire, The National (South Africa) reported.

Candidates do not get protection automatically. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia told Parliament that “any individual protection measures will be considered in accordance with applicable prescripts and verified threat assessments,” and would be applied impartially to all parties, The South African reported. The Political Killings Task Team, set up in 2018, has arrested more than 400 suspects, including more than 180 alleged hitmen.

What to watch on election day

Key tests will be whether special voting on Nov. 2-3 passes without major incidents, how turnout holds up among the IEC’s roughly 29.2 million registered voters, and whether the uMkhonto weSizwe Party led by Jacob Zuma can challenge the ANC in eThekwini. GI-TOC has urged that the police Political Killings Task Team keep its funding and authority through and after the vote. For context on another major election, see our report on Brazil’s election, and for regional security, our Africa security roundup.

Sources

• GI-TOC: Ballots and bullets, targeted killings before South Africa’s 2026 local elections
• SAnews: SAPS ready to ensure safe elections
• The National (South Africa): KZN election security, law enforcement on high alert
• The South African: Political killings hit a new high before the Nov. 4 elections
• IEC: Electoral Commission certifies 136,790 candidates
• South African Government: IEC update on readiness for 2026 local government elections