Shaun Singh.
Image: Monishkã Govender
While more than 300,000 people registered to vote by midday on Saturday for the 2026 local government elections (LGE), it was a quiet day at the Seatides Combined School registration station on Sunday.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said that by 8am on Saturday, nearly 100% of voting stations were confirmed open and operational. But there were delays due to community protests.
The LGE will be held on November 4.
After three visits to Seatides Combined School (ward 53, which the DA controls) on Sunday morning, the POST found only one person arrive around noon.
Shaun Singh, 54, of Seatides, who registered to vote, said he hoped his X at the polls would contribute to meaningful change, particularly in areas with service delivery and infrastructure challenges.
“I have had endless issues with Durban Solid Waste workers leaving bin bags in front of my driveway gate. It has been an issue for months,” said Singh.
“The water shortage is another issue and we experience random power cuts because we fall onto a different electrical grid. I just want to see change and people helping us with our problems.”
Ward councillor and DA member Geoff Pullan, who arrived at the station, said registration numbers in the area were lower than expected but described the process as peaceful and orderly.
“Saturday was the first day of voter registration, so you generally do not expect a lot of people. It has been relatively quiet here today. It has been happening across the ward. We completed 150 registrations yesterday. If we manage to get that much again, it would be good.”
Pullan attributed the low turnout partly to voter apathy.
“There is a general apathy about registration. In fact, about voting generally. People expect that if you are a councillor, you can fix the water, the electricity, the sewerage and the roads. But that has to be done by officials.”
He added that political representation remained a challenge for opposition parties in the council.
“The biggest challenge for us as a party is that we do not have enough support in council. When the major party has the majority, they just do what they like, and that is bad for the public. The public needs something that is on their side.”
Pullan encouraged residents to participate in the democratic process, stating that voting remained an important civic responsibility.
“It is your civic duty as a start. The main goal is to eliminate corruption. That is the killer. Until you get rid of corruption, all the money set aside for good things gets pinched.”
ANC campaigners at Seatides Combined School. From left: Elizabeth Mojaja, Zandile Luthulu and Nobuhle Mjikwa.
Image: Monishkã Govender
Meanwhile, ANC campaigner Elizabeth Mojaja said they had been at the school since Saturday and "it has been slow".
She said she was confident that the ANC could address key issues affecting local communities.
“We are campaigning for the ANC because we believe they will make life better for all South Africans. I have been campaigning for the ANC since 2004 and this year we want the ANC to win Ward 53,” she said.
“We want our water issues to be solved and we want housing. Living in the informal settlement is hard, so we want the houses we were promised and I feel the ANC will do that for us.”
The IEC opened all 23,706 voting stations across the country. The voters’ roll currently stands at approximately 28 million registered voters, an increase from the 27.7 million registered for the 2024 general elections. The IEC credited the growth largely to its online voter registration platform.