South Africa’s Local Government Elections (LGE2026) preview

South Africa’s local government elections (LGE2026) on November 4 come amid a shifting political landscape.

The polls will stress-test the Government of National Unity (GNU), whose constituent parties are all contesting individually, and will force parties into similar coalitions at local government level. With six of the country’s eight metros expected to be hung, the two-week negotiations that follow the polls will determine the fate of many municipalities.

Please join us as we look at the races, unpack the polling, and talk permutations and scenarios. We also consider the implications of these hugely consequential elections for the GNU, the economy, and the 2029 general elections.

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Speakers

Louw Nel

Louw is a senior political analyst at Oxford Economics Africa. He joined the company in 2020 after five years with South Africa’s official opposition party, serving as its operations director at Parliament and prior to that worked for five years at Crisis24 as a Political Risk Analyst. He has an obsessive relationship with African politics and covers South Africa and several other countries. Louw has a degree in PPE from the University of Stellenbosch.

Senior Political Analyst

Jee-A van der Linde

Jee-A is a senior economist at Oxford Economics Africa. He began his career at COFCO International and also worked at Allan Gray. He is responsible for the macroeconomic analysis of South Africa while his insights extend to the broader Southern Africa region. Jee-A holds a master’s degree in risk management.

Senior Economist, OE Africa