Demarcation of wards is a complex exercise: Hlabisa

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa speaks to the media at the official handover of the 2026 ward boundaries

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa says they acknowledge that the demarcation of wards is a complex exercise.

He was speaking in Centurion where the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) handed over the final ward boundaries to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

The handover occurred under the theme, “Democracy in Motion, Shaping your Ward towards Free and Fair Elections”.

Hlabisa believes the ceremony is a pivotal constitutional moment and a practical milestone.

He says the handing-over marks the beginning of the process for the IEC to start with the registration process for voters among others.

Hlabisa says, “We also acknowledge candidly that demarcation is a complex exercise and that it sometimes produces unease or even unhappiness in affected areas. The MDB’s process included extensive awareness-raising, technical consultations and nationwide public engagement, from the education drive beginning in mid-2024 through the municipal planning sessions and the April–June 2025 public meetings, to the publication of drafts and the objection windows.”