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Newsbrief

EFF urges ANC to rethink coalition with the DA

Published

EFF leader Julius Malema blamed the ANC for losses suffered by his party and the DA in the municipal elections, where no party won outright. ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the ANC has no formal view yet on the request.

Malema briefed the media on Saturday at the Electoral Commission of South Africa's National Results Operation Centre in Midrand. He said the ANC should reconcile with the EFF, the MK Party and the SACP, which he called its lost kids. He also said the ANC should take a stance against their common political enemies.

The EFF said it wants to be part of coalition talks, but on its own terms.

Key facts

Who
Julius Malema (EFF leader); Fikile Mbalula (ANC secretary general); Economic Freedom Fighters (political party); African National Congress (political party)
What
Julius Malema, EFF leader, briefed the media at the IEC's National Results Operation Centre in Midrand on Saturday, blaming the ANC for losses suffered by the EFF and DA and calling on the ANC to reconcile with its "lost kids". ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the ANC has no formal view yet on the request.
When
7 November 2026
Where
Midrand
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

The Electoral Commission will announce the final 2026 local election results on Sunday evening, with more than 100 municipal councils hung. Earlier, with almost all votes counted, the ANC's national share had fallen to just over 30%, down from 45.59% in 2021.

The commission had received 197 objections by 3pm on Saturday, dismissed 54, upheld two and ordered recounts in five wards. The ANC in Sedibeng says it found more than 32,000 voter records without addresses and is preparing an Electoral Court challenge, while the MK Party says it may also go to court.

Coalition talks now loom, as the DA won 53 seats in Nelson Mandela Bay but needs partners, and the SACP says it will set strict conditions for backing the ANC.

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AI Hot

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.

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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.

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