Ongoing

  1. ElectionsHot
  2. US mid-termsHeating up
  3. AICooling
NewsbriefSouth Africa, briefly.
JoburgJHB25°100%CTCT28°13°PretoriaPTA28°100%DurbanDBN18°100%

ANC ready to sit in opposition in three Gauteng metros

Published

Empty council chamber with rows of wooden benches facing a raised speaker's desk.

The ANC failed to win majorities in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni after the local elections, and is reported to accept opposition benches. Coalition talks between the DA and ActionSA stall over ActionSA's demand that Helen Zille not become mayor.

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.

Key facts

Who
Cyril Ramaphosa (President and leader of the ANC's top seven); Fikile Mbalula (ANC secretary-general); Herman Mashaba (ActionSA leader); Helen Zille (DA mayoral candidate for Johannesburg)
When
7 November 2026
Where
Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni
Status
Reported

Related stories

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