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The ANC's top seven officials, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, met on Thursday and Friday. A high-ranking ANC source said the group wants service delivery to come first. The source said the party would take the opposition bench with dignity where no agreement is possible, and would not lower the bar to join a government.

ActionSA is reportedly offering the DA the mayorships of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, on one condition: Zille must go. ActionSA also insists on keeping the Tshwane mayorship. ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said his first meeting with the DA was not a coalition discussion.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba accused the DA under Zille of being taken over by right-wing elements. Zille replied that Mashaba sold out the DA to the Economic Freedom Fighters during his term as mayor from 2016 to 2019. The DA federal executive said it would meet any party committed to clean and accountable government.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said no formal coalition talks were under way, but they would start soon. He said services such as water, electricity and care for the poorest must not be disrupted. The Independent Electoral Commission is expected to declare final results on Sunday night, and parties then have 14 days to negotiate.Share

France led Fiji 26-3 at half-time on Saturday. Ntamack seemingly hurt his shoulder in the build-up to France's third try. Captain Antoine Dupont scored a try, as did props Jean-Baptiste Gros and Sipili Falatea.

Fiji centre Vinaya Habosi and Selestino Ravutaumada scored tries, and Simione Kuruvoli kicked a penalty. Ten France-based Fiji players started the match. It was Fiji's fourth straight defeat in the inaugural Nations Championship.

France now seek to avoid a 10th defeat in their last 11 clashes with South Africa. They face the Springboks without either of their best fly-halves.Share

One report said attackers shot Namete several times and fled. It put his age at 48. The motive is unknown.

UDM Secretary General Bulelani Bobotyane condemned the killing. He said the party is escalating the matter to the South African Police Service for investigation. He also said the murder may be linked to the election period.

Namete once served as deputy mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and chaired its Municipal Public Accounts Committee. One report called him a UDM councillor, while another described him as a former councillor.Share

New Zealand led 24-21 at half-time. Ashman's three tries came in the first half, and sources describe it as the first hat-trick by a Scot against the All Blacks. Wallace Sititi scored the opening try for New Zealand, and replacement hooker Asafo Aumua scored the last.

Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu said his side's discipline was not good enough and that it started with him. Coach Gregor Townsend said poor discipline let New Zealand into the Scottish 22 in the first half.

Quinn Tupaea, the New Zealand outside centre, was player of the match. He called it a very satisfying win and said it had been a tough week for the group. New Zealand's head of security, Logan Cadwallader, died at the team hotel in Edinburgh last Sunday.

The win was New Zealand's 32nd in 34 tests against Scotland, with two draws, since 1905. Will Jordan is the other New Zealand player with 50 test tries.Share

The IEC said it had received 197 objections as of Saturday afternoon. It had dismissed 54, and eight were withdrawn. Two were upheld.

The ANC said recounts had already confirmed its wins in seven wards across Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane. It said more outcomes were waiting for official IEC confirmation.

The party said successful challenges must lead to suitable corrective action. It said it was confident in the merits of its submissions. It also said the final results must reflect the will of the people.Share

Masinga said eight of the 446 objections have been withdrawn by those who lodged them. Two have been upheld. The commission said some submissions did not meet the legal requirements for formal objections.

The MK Party called on the commission not to declare final results until all outstanding objections are addressed. The commission's office in the province said the complaints would not prevent the announcement.

The commission expects 14,245 results slips across all municipalities.Share

The level 4 warning covers Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. The weather service also named the Eastern Cape, the Wild Coast and the Northern Cape among the affected areas.

Thulasizwe Buthelezi, the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), activated the provincial disaster joint operations cluster. Disaster response teams in the province are on high alert.Share

The guidelines say the first council meeting must be convened within 14 days after a council is declared elected. Local and metropolitan municipalities have 120 days after the elections and first council meetings to set up ward committees. Municipal staff establishments must be reviewed within 12 months of the election.

On coalitions, the three bodies say agreements are political arrangements between parties. They cannot override the Constitution or other applicable law. After the 2021 Local Government Elections, 76 municipalities were led by coalitions.

The guidelines say municipalities must pay creditors, including Eskom and the Water Boards, first, to avoid service disruptions and financial instability. Municipalities with unfunded budgets, adverse audit outcomes or persistent financial problems may face interventions and funding-related measures.

The guidelines also refer to the District Development Model, which covers 44 district municipalities and eight metropolitan municipalities.Share

Hlabisa spoke at the IEC results centre in Midrand on Saturday. He said the government will help municipalities deal with hung councils once official results are out. Seven of the eight metropolitan municipalities are expected to be run by coalitions.

The guidelines are not law. Hlabisa said they are a contingency plan and a statement of intent, not a legally binding framework. He said he chose not to fast-track the Coalition Bill, to avoid challenges to a rushed process.

Municipalities have 14 days to constitute councils after official results are declared. Hlabisa said he is not worried that the lack of coalition legislation will necessarily produce dysfunctional coalitions. He said mutual respect among partners will decide whether coalitions succeed.

Hlabisa leads the IFP as well. He told a broadcaster in Midrand that the party won four wards in Soweto and one in Alexandra, which he said was the first time it had won wards in Soweto.Share

The IEC National Results Operations Centre is at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. EFF leader Julius Malema and MK Party leader Jacob Zuma were there. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane also attended.

ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe, who is also Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, was present. So were IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa and Freedom Front Plus leader Corne Mulder. ActionSA leader and mayoral candidate Herman Mashaba came, with spokesperson Lerato M-Ngobeni.

A photo caption said the IEC would announce the final results of the elections a day after the photographed date.Share

Malema said the EFF has no conditions for working with other parties in municipalities. He said the party will not form coalitions with the Democratic Alliance (DA) or the Freedom Front Plus. He added that the party is open to talks with other parties, even if they do not share its ideology.

The party lost more than 612,000 votes since 2021. Malema said the results will not derail the party's political ambitions. He said they will inform preparations for the 2029 provincial and national elections.

Malema also said the EFF has grown where people live and where councillors face accountability every day in the wards. He said the focus for now is to fix the broken municipalities.Share

Slade van Staden top scored for SWD with 77. Captain Janneman Malan added 45 from 37 balls.

Opening bowler Banele Cele took 3-31 for SWD. Legspinner Reagon Rhode took two wickets for 17 runs in four overs.

Boland, a Division One side, have 16 points from six matches. They are three points clear of the DP World Lions. SWD play in Division Two.Share

Mpofu spoke at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) results operations centre in Durban. He said the team of seven to eight people will lead and coordinate all coalition negotiations for the party. He said talks must not be driven by the pursuit of political positions or short-term expediency.

Mpofu said all agreements must be concluded within the first 100 days after the council is established. Acting secretary general Lindi Mtshali said the DA had said it was not prepared to work with the MK Party. She said the party would therefore talk to parties with the same interests.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the MK Party had 34.54% of the vote. The IFP had 20.75%, the ANC 20.51% and the DA 13.38%. In eThekwini, with 89% of votes counted, the MK Party had 39.66%, the DA 24.46% and the ANC 16.64%.

The party said it had about 10% of the vote nationally in its first local government election.Share

South Africa scored six tries in the first half and three in the second. Italy scored one try, by lock Federico Ruzza. Fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored a try, kicked 9 conversions and a penalty, and finished with 26 points.

Malcolm Marx scored two tries, which took his tally to 30 in a Springbok jersey. Captain Siya Kolisi, Damian Willemse, Wilco Louw, Paul de Villiers and Ethan Hooker also scored tries. Morne van den Berg was man of the match.

Salmaan Moerat withdrew before kick-off with a back spasm, and Lood de Jager started in his place. Erasmus said he hoped the injury was not serious and that Moerat was the only casualty. Franco Mostert came onto the bench.

Erasmus said Italy ran the ball from everywhere once they were 45 points behind, and that the Boks lost some rhythm after their changes. He said the Boks conceded only one penalty in the first half, and about five penalties and five turnovers in the game. He said the win was satisfying, but the team must improve to compete against France and Ireland.Share

Malema said the DA did not steal votes. He argued that the ANC's 2024 government of national unity with the DA legitimised right-wing forces, because it gave the DA critical ministries. He said the party lost 612,326 votes, as support fell from 2.4 million to 1.8 million.

Malema said the ANC must agree if MK demands that Ramaphosa go, because he blamed the President for the mess the country is in. He also said DA control of metros would mean services only for people who can afford to pay.

He said low voter turnout in townships partly explained the decline. He urged supporters to keep voting, and said not voting was counter-revolutionary.

The EFF's ward representation rose from 19 to 27 wards. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) allocated the party 465 of 7,450 council seats, and final proportional representation allocations are pending. Malema announced a 100-day plan to channel resources into ward victories.Share

The IEC confirmed on Saturday that it has captured every local government election result in the Western Cape. The step comes before the results are finalised.

The commission said the anomalies appeared in its results system while votes were counted. It said the anomalies need more checks before it can finalise the results.Share

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said other objections were withdrawn. The commission found that the two upheld objections were material to the outcome. Areas named in the reports include the City of Tshwane, Emalahleni, Thabazimbi and Breede Valley.

Moepya said the results stay provisional until the commission determines all objections. He said the provisional result may change, and seats may change if the commission upholds an objection. He said the IEC would likely finish the remaining processes on Saturday evening.

After 99% of votes were counted, the ANC led nationally with 30.8%. The DA was second with 24%.Share

DA Federal Council Chairperson Ashur Sarupen said the party wants to work with parties that share its values. He listed clean and accountable government, action against graft, services for all, the rule of law and non-racialism. He said these principles will be the base of its approach to talks.

The party won over 24% of the vote in this year's municipal elections. In the 2021 municipal elections it won 21.66%.Share

The win sends Pirates into the final four of the tournament. Padime's goal in the 32nd minute decided the match.

Sipho Chaine played in goal for Pirates.Share

The Commission said eight objections were withdrawn. The rest were still under consideration. Moepya spoke at a media briefing on vote counting.

Moepya said the Commission would uphold any objection that it judged material to the final result. It would do this before it formally declares the election outcomes.

Parties and candidates that are unhappy with a ruling may challenge it in the Electoral Court. They have seven days to do so, Moepya said.Share

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya spoke at a media briefing at the Results Operations Centre in Midrand. He said Gauteng, North West and KwaZulu-Natal were in the final stages of processing. He said results were still pending in Emfuleni, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.

Moepya said the commission was confident it would finalise the count before the Sunday announcement. He said the end of the count did not mean the IEC had decided on all objections.

The IEC confirmed 197 objections. It dismissed 54 after finding no basis for them, and complainants withdrew eight. Two were upheld and are under investigation.Share

Mbalula said ANC officials will finalise a detailed analysis of the election result on Monday. He said the party's National Executive Committee will then deliberate on strategies for hung councils.

Mbalula said the party has a mandate from now and will work harder. He said this work is not for the next election but for people who still wait for basic services such as water.Share

Mbalula said the party knew the outcome would be difficult. He said internal ANC polling had suggested the party could win at least 34% support.

He said the ANC had called for a recount in Gauteng and was waiting for the outcome. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) reported 197 objections by 3pm on Saturday.

Mbalula said the ANC would consider coalition governments, confidence-and-supply arrangements or staying in opposition. He said the party would approach any talks in good faith and would not rush into them.Share

The section deals with the legal effect when a plea and sentence agreement falls away. The commission asked for the submissions after Matlala's agreement collapsed in a separate criminal case. That case is linked to the Medicare24 SAPS health services tender, which is worth R360 million.

Matlala is expected to testify on Monday and Tuesday. He is described as an alleged criminal kingpin. Mbuyiseli Madlanga chairs the commission.Share

Mariano Machado, Americas principal analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, said Alliana's presidency means policy continuity, a weak mandate and dependence on former president Horacio Cartes. He said the loss of Peña also takes away the leading champion of the case for investing in Paraguay.

Machado expects orthodox macroeconomic policy to continue. He also expects more pressure for spending on patronage before the 2028 elections.

Alliana said the Trump administration's Shield of the Americas regional security initiative will help Paraguay fight organised crime better. He told reporters on Monday that he wanted to be president.Share

ANC supporters protested at several voting stations in Gauteng and North West, including in Marikana. The party said it was unhappy with results at four voting stations in Sedibeng.

The ANC in Sedibeng also raised concerns about the voters' roll. It said 32,182 voter records had no addresses and that the same ID details appeared in more than one voting district in 34 cases.

The party also pointed to addresses with many registered voters. It listed 1,582 voters at one address in Sebokeng Unit 13 and 1,256 at one address in Sharpeville. The ANC said these findings do not by themselves prove wrongdoing by individual voters.

ANC Sedibeng regional secretary Jason Mkhwane raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in the region. The IEC said unsuccessful Electoral Court proceedings had already dealt with the voters' roll matter, and that the issue has judicial finality. The IEC declined to comment on the timing and motive of the ANC statement.Share

A Yellow Level 4 warning for severe thunderstorms covers parts of KwaZulu-Natal. Large parts of the eThekwini metro fall inside the warning area.

Mzila said the weather conditions pose a serious risk to human lives. He gave residents the eThekwini Disaster Management Centre number for reporting incidents: 031 361 0000.Share