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Newsbrief

Elderly voters dominate queues in Hammanskraal on election day

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

Pensioners made up most of the queues at polling stations in Hammanskraal, Tshwane, on Wednesday. Residents said they want the next local government to fix water, electricity, roads and crime.

Evelyn Mdlalose, 84, voted at Boitshepo Secondary School. She said the area has no clean water, no roads and no electricity. She hopes the party she voted for will deliver these services.

Piet Kekana, 80, said crime is his priority. He said he wants peace and a candidate who will fight crime, which he described as severe in the area.

Linah Kwinaka, 81, said she voted for a candidate who could address the water crisis. Elderly residents in general said they hope the next administration will solve the area's long-standing service problems.

Water is a sore point in Hammanskraal. More than 30 people died in a cholera outbreak linked to contaminated water supply in May 2023.

Key facts

Who
Evelyn Mdlalose (84-year-old voter at Boitshepo Secondary School); Piet Kekana (80-year-old voter); Linah Kwinaka (81-year-old voter)
What
At polling stations in Hammanskraal, elderly voters appeared to make up the bulk of those queuing to vote on election day, with residents citing water, electricity, roads and crime as their main concerns.
When
4 November 2026
Where
Hammanskraal, Tshwane
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.

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US mid-terms Heating up

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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.

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AI Cooling

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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.

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