ICASA Amends Municipal Election Broadcasting Regulations

Posted 02 April 2026 Written by Acts Online
Category Communications & Digital Technologies

Brought to you by SA Legal Academy: The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has gazetted a further set of amendments to the 2011 regulations governing municipal elections-related party broadcasts and political advertisements.

In terms of the Electronic Communications Act, No. 36 of 2005, the Authority has issued these amendments to the Municipal Party Elections Broadcasts and Political Advertisements Regulations, 2011. The amendments are immediately effective and include a replacement Annexure A, which provides updated guidelines for broadcasting services licensees.

On 9 April 2026, ICASA issued a media statement drawing specific attention to the timeframes and deadlines affecting licensees that intend to broadcast municipal elections-related political party content and advertisements. The guidelines underscore a broadcasting services licensee’s obligations regarding the scheduling and transmission of such content.

Key Regulatory Requirements

  • Licensees must adhere to the specific timeframes for political election broadcasts (PEBs) as detailed in the amended Annexure A.
  • Strict compliance with deadlines for the submission and notification of political advertisements (PAs) is required to ensure equitable treatment of contesting parties.
  • Broadcasting services licensees are required to maintain records of all political broadcasts and advertisements aired during the election period for regulatory oversight.

Click here to download the ICASA Media Statement and Amendment Regulations.

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: No direct individual obligations; impact is channelled through firm-level compliance for legal or media practitioners advising on electoral communications.
  • For your business: Broadcasting licensees must immediately update their internal compliance manuals and broadcast schedules to reflect the revised deadlines and procedural requirements set out in the replacement Annexure A.
  • For your clients: Political parties and independent candidates must ensure that all advertisement material and broadcast requests are submitted to licensees within the specific timeframes mandated by ICASA to avoid forfeiture of allocated airtime.

Originally published at https://legalacademy.co.za/news/read/municipal-elections-icasa-gazettes-more-amendments-to-broadcasting-regulations

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