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  2. US mid-termsHeating up
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Hyundai recalls 253 Tucson NX4 vehicles over airbag sensor

Published

The National Consumer Commission is recalling the vehicles, all sold nationwide in 2025, because the side-impact airbag sensors may have incorrect specifications. Owners can get free remedial work at an authorised Hyundai dealership.

Commission spokesperson Phetho Ntaba said: "The affected vehicles were fitted with a side-impact airbag sensor with incorrect specifications." The commission urges owners to book an inspection at an authorised Hyundai dealership. Any remedial work costs the owner nothing.

The recall is one of more than 50 vehicle recalls by major brands this year. Others include BMW, Volkswagen and Toyota.

Key facts

Who
Phetho Ntaba (NCC spokesperson); National Consumer Commission (recalling body); Hyundai (vehicle manufacturer of the recalled Tucson models)
What
The NCC is recalling 253 Hyundai Tucson NX4 vehicles sold nationwide in 2025 that may have side-impact airbag sensors with incorrect specifications. Owners are urged to book an inspection at an authorised Hyundai dealership, with any remedial work free of charge.
When
20 October 2026
Where
South Africa
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.

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe told members not to query the results or discredit the IEC, while the IEC said false online claims show routine procedures as fraud.

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US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

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.

  1. Iran welcomes Democratic wins in US midterm elections
  2. Democrats win US Congress in midterm vote, projections show
  3. Ramaphosa wants US trade deal after AGOA suspension

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AI Cooling

What you need to know

Nvidia has told its cloud computing clients to sell at least 51% of their services to non-Chinese companies, according to five people with knowledge of the matter. Anthropic said it has committed to spend close to $900bn on AI infrastructure, and that its computing costs are rising faster than its revenues.

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.

  1. Accenture faces accusations over AI report with false citations
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  3. Google lets schools turn off AI tools but limits Search

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