Johannesburg - Municipal by-elections are set to take place on Wednesday across the country, where 81 candidates will be contesting 31 wards, according to the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC).
The by-elections are to take place in the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape, and the Western Cape.
The candidates represent 12 parties, while two candidates are independent. Five wards are uncontested.
Four by-elections will take place in the Eastern Cape, all in Inkwanca (Molteno) municipality. Each of the seats were previously held by the ANC.
The by-elections in wards one, two, three and four were triggered following the municipality being dissolved.
The Free State sees one by-election, where the ANC will seek to retain ward seven in Maluti a Phofung (Qwa-Qwa) municipality.
Five by-elections are to be held in KwaZulu-Natal. Four are to take place in Mooi (Mooirivier) Mpofana municipality in wards one, two, three and four following its dissolution, and one in Ulundi municipality.
All four seats in Mooi (Mooirivier) Mpofana were previously held by the ANC, while the ward in Ulundi, Ward 19, was previously held by the National Freedom Party.
Limpopo sees 13 by-elections, all at Mogalakwena (Potgietersrus) municipality, after the expulsion of all the councillors.
The contested wards were wards 4, 7, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26 and 28. Wards 13 and 17 were uncontested, with the ANC set to retain them.
Three by-elections are scheduled for Mpumalanga, two being uncontested.
The ANC candidate in Ward 8 in Mkondo (Piet Retief) municipality is the only candidate. The seat was previously held by the ANC.
The same applies to ward 24 in the Govan Mbeki (Highveld Ridge) municipality, where the ANC candidate will retain the ward for the party.
Ward three in the Umjindi (Barberton) municipality was being contested. The ward was previously held by the ANC.
One by-election will take place in the Northern Cape at ward six in Kai !Garib (Keimoes) municipality. The ward was previously held by the ANC.
Four by-elections are scheduled in the Western Cape, one being uncontested.
Ward 11 in Theewaterskloof (Caledon) municipality was previously held by the DA.
Wards 2 and 7 in the Overstrand (Greater Hermanus) municipality were previously held by the DA, while Ward 5 was previously held by the ANC.
Ward seven is uncontested. The DA is set to retain the ward.
Voting stations will be open from 07:00 to 21:00. A total
of 493 316 voters are registered in the 633 voting districts where the
by-elections will take place.