Ongoing

  1. ElectionsHot
  2. US mid-termsHeating up
  3. AICooling
Newsbrief
JoburgJHB29°69%
CTCT21°90%
PretoriaPTA33°75%
DurbanDBN30°20°

Mashatile visits Bronkhorstspruit after water illness cases

Published

Deputy President Paul Mashatile is visiting the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works and patients in hospital on Monday. About 408 cases of gastrointestinal illness were reported in the area after residents drank water suspected of being contaminated.

Mashatile chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Water and Sanitation, and the visit forms part of its work. Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina and Deputy Minister David Mahlobo are also named as part of the visit.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Jacob Mamabolo and Tshwane Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya are also named in the Presidency's statement. Bronkhorstspruit falls under the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.

The Presidency said residents drank water suspected of being contaminated and linked to the water treatment works. It said the incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of the water supply and the health risks to communities.

Key facts

Who
Paul Mashatile (Deputy President, chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Water and Sanitation); Pemmy Majodina (Minister of Water and Sanitation); David Mahlobo (Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation); Panyaza Lesufi (Gauteng Premier)
What
Deputy President Paul Mashatile is visiting the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works and hospitalised patients as part of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Water and Sanitation, after about 408 cases of gastrointestinal illness were reported in the area.
When
26 October 2026
Where
Bronkhorstspruit, City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng
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.

  1. BOSA's Solomons flags one-ballot problem at Cape Town voting stations
  2. Mashatile urges new councillors to put voters first
  3. IEC dismisses MK Party worry about dead people on voters' roll

See every update

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

See every update

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
  2. CrowdStrike to buy two AI security startups
  3. Google lets schools turn off AI tools but limits Search

See every update