Evidence first
We prioritise the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), official government and municipal records, and original party manifestos. Every published position links to a source record and the original document, with the relevant section or page.
Summaries are short paraphrases checked against the source. They represent the party’s documented intention, not an independently proven outcome. AI-assisted extraction and drafting were used in this initial build; source checks were performed against the accessed documents. A separate human editorial sign-off has not been recorded. That limitation is part of the launch review.
The same structure for every party
Parties appear alphabetically by full name. The comparison uses the same ten categories and the same source fields for each party. We do not assign scores, recommend a party or accept payment to alter ordering or summaries.
Launch coverage includes ANC, DA and EFF documents that were accessible for review. Inclusion is a documented source selection, not a complete list of South African parties or proof of local candidacy. We welcome additional original sources through the corrections channel.
Scope matters
The reviewed 2026 manifestos describe national local-government frameworks. We label them that way. A national framework is not automatically a promise to a particular municipality. Local candidate and party participation lists have not been verified for this release.
When a position cannot be supported, we display: “No verified position located in the reviewed sources.” An unavailable source is not evidence that a party has no policy.
Results need a denominator
The Cape Town chart uses the IEC’s 2021 detailed results report, PR ballot only, across all wards and voting districts. Party vote share is party PR votes divided by 913,444 valid PR votes, excluding spoilt ballots. Ward ballots and council seats are different measures and are not combined with this result.
The eight largest vote totals are shown individually; other parties are aggregated without changing the total. Labels show rounded percentages. The accessible data table shows counts. We omit turnout, historical trends and additional municipality results when compatible evidence is unavailable.
Dates and future results
The 4 November 2026 election date is taken from the IEC event record. Election-day messaging uses South African time. After election day, the homepage changes to accountability messaging. 2026 result values will be added only after official publication and source review; the date transition does not generate results.
Corrections and record keeping
Each record keeps a source identifier, retrieval date and document reference. Source evidence and full historical party counts are retained with this project’s source code. If a source changes, the earlier reference still identifies what was reviewed; we do not claim to host an archival copy of every source document.
Report an issue with the page URL, the disputed summary or figure, and a supporting primary source. Submit a correction. Corrections require review and are never automatically published.
Advertising and independence
Enquiries are separate from the comparison. There are no live advertising placements in this release. Contextual placements and clearly labelled advertiser identities are the intended model; political advertisements remain disabled pending verification of applicable election, disclosure and data-protection requirements. Advertising does not purchase editorial priority.
Last methodology update: 29 October 2026. Explore the source register.