Trust in South Africa's Electoral Commission plummets, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal
via The Citizen5 min read
Trust in the Electoral Commission of South Africa IEC has significantly declined, reaching a low of 20% in KwaZulu-Natal KZN, the lowest nationwide. IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya acknowledged this crisis during a media briefing, citing the 2026 Human Sciences Research Council’s voter participation survey. The national average trust level in the IEC stands at 32%. This decline is part of a broader democratic disillusionment in KZN, where satisfaction with democracy fell from 54% in 2004 to 6% in 2025. Professor Theo Neethling, a research fellow, suggests the IEC is an "unintended victim" of a larger legitimacy crisis affecting nearly all political entities, exacerbated by low civic awareness and misinformation. Political analyst Professor Andre Duvenhage from North West University attributes the low trust in KZN to the MK party's sustained campaign questioning the IEC's credibility, despite a lack of evidence. Duvenhage warns that questioning electoral outcomes is becoming a broader feature of South African politics, potentially adopted by other parties facing losses. Moepya defended the IEC's integrity, detailing transparency measures and challenging critics to identify flaws in the system, while also noting steps taken to address concerns from the 2024 elections.
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