MTHATHA, Eastern Cape — Voter registration for the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE 2026) in the OR Tambo Region of the Eastern Cape faced significant disruptions as community protests forced several registration stations to temporarily close. Residents in areas including Mthatha and Qumbu cited long-standing service delivery failures and flawed ANC ward councillor candidate nomination processes as the primary reasons for halting the campaign.
Poor service delivery has been cited as a common issue for shutting down registration venues across the OR Tambo region, with residents stating that these disruptions are their way of getting the attention of relevant stakeholders. In Qumbu and the Second Location community, frustration has reached a boiling point. Community members report having received no service delivery in the past 10 years, highlighting a complete lack of access to clean water, proper roads, and the bridges used to access the village.
Adding to the tension is a contentious demarcation issue. Residents revealed that the municipality decided to move their area from W 15 to W 23 without consulting the community, further fueling local discontent.
In Mthatha and specifically Mata West, the focus of the protests shifted to internal political processes. Residents prevented voter registration, asserting that the African National Congress (ANC) ward councillor candidate appointment process was fundamentally flawed.
Community leader Zanele Ngcobozi articulated the residents’ stance, emphasizing their demand for direct engagement. “We want them to come to us. The reason why we close the gates is because we want them to come to us and give us an update,” Ngcobozi stated. “We want to appoint our own councillor. We can see the registration process is ongoing. Who are we registering to vote for? We don’t have a candidate. We might as well continue with our current councillor.”
The disruptions have had a direct, personal impact on individual voters. One frustrated resident shared their predicament: “I was admitted at the hospital and I never got a chance to register. So, it was my chance. Now, when we got here, we found residents that block us from entering. This is frustrating me because if I don’t register, I won’t be able to vote in November.”
Addressing the political unrest, an ANC Eastern Cape spokesperson confirmed that the party is actively looking into the disputes over ward candidates. “I can confirm that the ANC internally is dealing with the issue of the ward candidates, as the disputes have been lodged by some of the individual members of our communities,” the spokesperson stated. They added that the Provincial Leadership Committee (PLC) is seriously looking at the matters, will be giving feedback, and has in fact already provided feedback to some of the branches.
Despite the early closures and community blockades, an Electoral Commission spokesperson provided a resolving update, confirming that all stations were later opened and that voter registration successfully commenced in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.