Ongoing

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

ANC wins only 3 Mpumalanga councils outright, needs coalitions in 13

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

The ANC's support in Mpumalanga fell to 43.6% in the 2026 local government elections, which reports describe as its lowest ever. It lost control of Victor Khanye and Mbombela, and won Chief Albert Luthuli, Nkomazi and Bushbuckridge outright.

Support for the ANC in the province was 58% after the 2021 local government elections. In Mbombela, its share fell from 65% to 48% and the council is hung. In eMalahleni, its share fell from 51% to 31%, and the DA rose from 18% to 23%. The MK Party came third there with 14%.

In Nkomazi the ANC kept an outright majority with 54%, down from 73% in 2021. The Service Delivery Party (SDP), which is 10 months old, took Victor Khanye from the ANC. It won 39.53% of the vote in Delmas.

Academic Rasodi Manyaka of the University of Mpumalanga said the decline came from poor service delivery, corruption and the ANC's failure to name its mayoral candidates. Some Delmas residents said they voted for the SDP after going without water and struggling to find work.

MK Party elections manager Siphiwe Mathebula said the party is in talks in almost all municipalities where it can work with others. He said it will not work with the ANC in Mkhondo, as that would betray voters. SDP spokesperson Fukie Mofokeng said the party has not started talks but is open to working with anyone at Victor Khanye, if the aim is to deliver services.

ANC provincial secretary Muzi Chirwa said the party will engage all parties and will be guided by its national executive committee.

Key facts

Who
African National Congress (party whose vote share fell in several Mpumalanga councils); Democratic Alliance (party that gained in eMalahleni); MK Party (party that finished third in eMalahleni with 14%); Economic Freedom Fighters (party overtaken by the DA in eMalahleni)
What
Results analysis of the 2026 local government elections in Mpumalanga shows the ANC's vote share fell sharply in eMalahleni, the City of Mbombela and Nkomazi compared with 2021, while the DA gained in eMalahleni.
When
7 November 2026
Where
Mpumalanga, eMalahleni, City of Mbombela
Status
Reported

Related stories

Elections Hot

What you need to know

The Electoral Commission will announce the final local government election results at 6pm on Sunday 9 November, and it says objections will not delay them. More than 100 municipal councils are hung, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to attend the announcement at the Results Operations Centre.

The ANC now trails the DA, and Fikile Mbalula says ActionSA took ANC votes in Gauteng townships. Earlier, the commission said it had received 197 objections by 3pm on Saturday, dismissed 54, upheld two and ordered recounts in five wards.

The ANC in Sedibeng is preparing an Electoral Court challenge over 32,000 voter records without addresses, and the MK Party says it may also go to court over Ethekwini.

  1. ANC wins only 3 Mpumalanga councils outright, needs coalitions in 13
  2. Woman, 63, dies after collapsing in voting queue in Durban
  3. ANC ward wins keep Morero and Masuku off Johannesburg council

See every update

US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

The US justice department dropped its bid to stop California counting mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 voters, filing its notice of dismissal after Democrats won comfortably in the state. Earlier, Democrats won both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections on Tuesday, 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, while Vice-President JD Vance said the war was the reason. Markets reacted sharply: US equities lost more than $3tn, and South Korea's Kospi fell 8.5%, while Trump blamed the Democratic win and analysts pointed to worries about AI investment.

In South Africa, the JSE rose almost 5%, and senior US Democrats urged talks over the removal of AGOA trade preferences, which takes effect on 1 January 2027.

  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

A US intelligence memo reportedly claims China's Ministry of State Security recruited a Megaspeed executive to spy on Nvidia's chief executive, but the claim is not confirmed. Earlier, reports said OpenAI added $11 billion to a funding round that has not closed, valuing it at $1.25 trillion.

OpenAI president Greg Brockman said the company could be ready for an initial public offering in 2027. Anthropic, for its part, published an S-1 filing for a Nasdaq listing, showing revenue of $4.6bn in 2025 and a net loss of $80.7bn in the first half of 2026.

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. US memo claims China recruited executive to spy on Nvidia chief
  2. OpenAI reportedly raises $11 billion more at $1.25 trillion value
  3. Parents sue Google over Gemini chatbot and daughter's suicide plan

See every update