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Newsbrief

Hill-Lewis urges Nelson Mandela Bay voters to back DA on jobs

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

DA Federal Leader Geordin Hill-Lewis told a rally in Gqeberha that the party creates jobs wherever it governs. He asked residents to vote for the DA in the local election on November 4.

Hill-Lewis spoke at a DA rally in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. He said one DA government created half the new jobs in the country's cities. He told the crowd: "Everywhere where the DA governs jobs come to that town or city."

The DA is an opposition party on the Nelson Mandela Bay council. It holds 48 of the 120 council seats and is campaigning for control of the metro.

Some residents said they hope for better jobs and easier access to education. A 21-year-old resident has been out of school since 2023 and has no job. The resident said the DA must create access to jobs.

Key facts

Who
Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA Federal Leader); Democratic Alliance (Party campaigning for control of Nelson Mandela Bay metro); Retief Odendaal (DA mayoral candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay); Yusuf Cassim (DA Eastern Cape chairman and higher education and training deputy minister)
What
At a DA rally in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, Geordin Hill-Lewis urged voters to back the DA ahead of the November 4 vote, saying the party creates jobs where it governs. Some residents said they hope for improvements in jobs and education access.
When
29 October 2026
Where
Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

Voting in the 2026 Local Government Elections is under way at 23,696 stations, and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported a smooth start on 4 November. Stations opened at 7am and close at 9pm, and by 10am preliminary figures showed 3,523,691 voters had cast ballots.

There were problems: unused ballot papers were stolen from Mnyameni Secondary School near Durban, police opened a case, and the IEC relieved the station staff of duty. Some voters in Tshwane said they were turned away for wearing party shirts, but the IEC denied this and said only mayoral candidates' entourages were barred.

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US mid-terms Heating up

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Democrats won back both the US House and Senate in the midterm elections held on 3 November, according to media projections. Exit polls showed voters were angry about high prices and the direction of the country, and rebuked President Donald Trump.

Before the vote, US forces struck targets on Qeshm Island in Iran, while Republicans struggled to defend the war against Iran on the campaign trail. Iranian officials said US voters rejected the war, and Tehran stayed on high alert for possible new US strikes.

Markets reacted, with the dollar hitting a one-month low and the rand firming to around R16.55, as analysts pointed to fears of gridlock in Washington.

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AI Cooling

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Elsewhere, reports from unnamed sources say OpenAI's latest funding round is falling short of expectations, and a judge let the NAACP pollution case against xAI proceed. In South Africa, the VAST AI investment scheme went offline on 30 October after withdrawals marked approved did not arrive, according to a news investigation.

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