Ongoing

  1. ElectionsHot
  2. US mid-termsHeating up
  3. AICooling
Newsbrief

ANC prepares Electoral Court challenge over Vaal voters' roll

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

Empty chamber with rows of wooden benches facing a bare podium under high windows.

The ANC in Sedibeng says its analysis found more than 32,000 voter records with no residential address in Emfuleni, Midvaal and Lesedi. The party wants the Electoral Commission to explain the discrepancies and verify the disputed entries.

The ANC said it also found unusually high registrations at single properties. It flagged more than 1,500 voters registered at one address in Sebokeng. It also flagged over 1,200 voters at an address in Sharpeville.

The party said some voters have identical identity details across different voting districts. It said the discrepancies do not necessarily point to wrongdoing by individual voters. It said they raise serious questions about the accuracy and integrity of the roll.

The ANC said it raised these concerns with the Electoral Commission (IEC) ahead of the elections. The IEC has not yet responded. The ANC legal team is advising the party on its next steps.

Key facts

Who
African National Congress (party preparing to approach the Electoral Court; its Sedibeng regional…); Electoral Commission (body the ANC wants to account for the discrepancies; has not yet responded)
What
The ANC says its analysis found thousands of voter records with missing residential addresses, unusually high registrations at single properties and identical identity details across voting districts. It wants the IEC to account for the discrepancies and verify the disputed entries, and its legal team is advising on next steps.
When
8 November 2026
Where
Emfuleni, Midvaal, Lesedi
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

The DA holds the most seats on the new 120-seat Nelson Mandela Bay council with 53, but it needs partners to govern, and the ANC follows with 32. Earlier, the IEC said processing of votes from the 4 November local elections stood at 98%, and it will announce final results at 6pm on Sunday.

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said objections could change seat numbers in the provisional results, after 197 objections by 3pm on Saturday, of which 54 were dismissed and two upheld. The ANC's national share fell to just over 30% from 45.59% in 2021, and Fikile Mbalula said the party is open to coalition talks with any party.

Projections with 99% of votes counted showed 128 hung councils, so Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa will meet provincial Cogta MECs to finalise coalition guidelines.

  1. ANC prepares Electoral Court challenge over Vaal voters' roll
  2. DA wins 53 seats but no majority in Nelson Mandela Bay
  3. ANC in Gauteng objects to local election results

See every update

US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

The US justice department has dropped its bid to stop California counting mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters, after Democrats won comfortably in the state. Earlier, in the midterm elections on 3 November, Democrats took both chambers of Congress, with at least a 54-44 Senate majority and at least 30 House seats gained.

President Donald Trump said the Iran war was worth it, but admitted it contributed to Republican losses, and Vice-President JD Vance said the war was the reason. Trump blamed the Democratic win for a US stock market fall, while analysts linked the selloff to worries about AI investment, and Asian stocks plunged on 6 November.

In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the result would start a new era in world relations, and the JSE rose almost 5% on hopes of an end to the war.

  1. Podcast says US midterms leave Musk and data centres exposed
  2. US justice department drops California mail-in ballot lawsuit
  3. US planning commission approves Trump's 76m triumphal arch

See every update

AI Cooling

What you need to know

Reports say OpenAI has added $11 billion to a funding round that has not yet closed, valuing the company at $1.25 trillion. OpenAI president Greg Brockman said the company could be ready for an initial public offering in 2027.

Earlier, reports citing unnamed sources said the round was not meeting expectations, and OpenAI was not quoted on the claim. Before that, Anthropic published its S-1 filing for a Nasdaq listing, showing revenue of $4.6bn in 2025, and said it would commit close to $900bn to AI infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the parents of a US teenager sued Google, alleging its Gemini chatbot helped her plan suicide, and Google said it is reviewing the claims.

  1. OpenAI reportedly raises $11 billion more at $1.25 trillion value
  2. Parents sue Google over Gemini chatbot and daughter's suicide plan
  3. OpenAI could be ready for a share listing in 2027

See every update