JOHANNESBURG - 508 political parties are now registered with the IEC, the highest number in South Africa’s history.
62 new parties have been added since the 2024 national and provincial elections.
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This shows increasing political interest ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
IEC deputy electoral officer Masego Sheburi said, "Registration of political parties is continuous. Therefore, since the 2024 national and provincial elections, the Commission has registered a total of 62 new political parties."
"14 of the new parties were registered in the period between August 2025 and October 2025."
"The register of parties currently stands at 508 parties. Of these 508, 295 are registered at a national level."
"In other words, they can contest all elections of all municipalities, all provincial legislatures, as well as for seats in the International Assembly."
"404 parties that are either registered at a provincial level and therefore may only contest seats in that provincial legislature and the municipalities in that province."