South Africans will head to the polls later this year to vote in the local government elections.

The Constitutional Court on Friday rejected an application by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to postpone the elections to February 2022.

The IEC application followed a set of recommendations contained in a report by former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, which said elections should be moved to February 2022 to ensure the fairness of the elections and the safety of voters who might be exposed to Covid-19. 

The apex court said applications should happen between 27 October and November 1. 

Commission chairperson Glen Mashinini said on Monday voters who intend to register can apply between September 10 and 13 at the relevant municipal office. A registration weekend will be held from September 18 to September 19. 

“The commission has already taken measures to ensure that it complies with the orders of the Constitutional Court.

“The minister will, on September 20 proclaim the date of the election. This proclamation will cause the voters' roll to be closed for the purposes of the 2021 municipal elections. The commission has indicated its preference of the election date to the minister who is now considering the matter,” said Mashinini. 

Mashinini also said the amended election timetable will allow independent candidates and political parties who missed the August deadline to register their candidates for the elections in various municipalities.

The registrations will open after the September 19 registrations. 

A recent Ipsos poll found the ANC remained the most popular party in the country, despite a possible decrease in support. 

Ipsos undertook a computer-assisted telephone interviewing study from August 16 to August 20, interviewing 1,501 randomly selected adults in the country.

Participants were asked which party they would vote for in the local government elections, with 49% choosing the ANC, 17.9% the DA and 14.5% the EFF.

It also found the elections are likely to see an increase in support for Action SA and other smaller parties. 

Ipsos stressed the poll was not a prediction but a snapshot of support at a point in time.