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

NATJOINTS keeps security on high alert during vote count

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

Police deployed enforcement personnel at all 23,000 voting stations for the local government elections, NATJOINTS said. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is still counting, capturing and verifying results from the vote held on Wednesday.

NATJOINTS chairperson Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili briefed the media at the national Joint Operations Centre. She is also the deputy national commissioner for policing. She said police will assess whether more resources are needed after earlier deployments were withdrawn.

The South African National Defence Force is available to support police in identified hotspots. NATJOINTS said it will keep monitoring developments and adjust its security response where necessary.

Key facts

Who
Tebello Mosikili (NATJOINTS chairperson and deputy national commissioner for policing…); NATJOINTS (security cluster briefing on election security); South African Police Service (police service maintaining security operations); IEC (electoral body counting and verifying local election results)
What
NATJOINTS chairperson Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili briefed the media at the ROC that police enforcement personnel had been deployed at all 23,000 voting stations, and that police will assess whether more resources are needed after earlier deployments were withdrawn. The IEC is still counting, capturing and verifying results from Wednesday's local government elections.
When
5 November 2026
Where
South Africa, Gauteng
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

ActionSA's Kgadi Mogatusi is projected to win Ward 48 in Dobsonville, Soweto, the first time the ANC has lost that ward. The IEC said 15.9 million people voted in the local elections, and final results will come only after objections are dealt with, within seven days by law.

Early projections point to hung councils, with the CSIR projecting the DA to lead in Ekurhuleni, Joburg and Tshwane when 23% of Gauteng voting districts were declared. In KwaZulu-Natal, the MK Party led early counts, while the ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli said the party's showing is below its own expectations.

Earlier, the IEC said about 106 of more than 800 party complaints remained open, and it cannot declare final results before 5pm on Friday.

  1. DA wins outright control of four Western Cape councils
  2. NATJOINTS keeps security on high alert during vote count
  3. IEC weighs action after party tears up ballots in Northern Cape

See every update

AI Hot

What you need to know

Uber said that in its busiest week last quarter, only 4 people booked a ride through an AI agent, and Nothing plans to sell an AI-first device in December. Earlier, unnamed critics accused Accenture of publishing an AI report with wrongly attributed research and apparently non-existent case studies, while CrowdStrike announced a deal of nearly $500 million for two AI security startups.

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. The VAST AI investment scheme, which recruited South Africans on social media, went offline on 30 October after approved withdrawals did not arrive, according to a news investigation.

In South Africa, the CSIR asked partners on 28 October to build a network to counter AI-driven fake content before the coming elections.

  1. Only 4 people booked Uber rides through an AI agent
  2. Nothing plans to launch AI-first device next month
  3. Accenture faces accusations over AI report with false citations

See every update

US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

US Vice-President JD Vance said in a post on X that the Iran war was the reason Republicans lost the midterm elections, and he questioned whether it was worth the cost. Democrats won the Senate with a majority of at least 54-44 and gained at least 30 House seats, according to one count, and party leaders said they would rein in President Donald Trump.

Trump said the war was needed to stop Tehran getting a nuclear weapon, though he admitted it contributed to his party's losses. Earlier, projections showed Democrats winning both chambers on 3 November, and exit polls showed voters angry about high prices and the direction of the country.

Before the vote, US forces struck Qeshm Island in Iran, and Trump said a deal with Iran could happen while also threatening to resume strikes.

  1. JSE surges and rand firms after Democratic midterm win
  2. Vance blames Iran war for Republican midterm losses
  3. Democrats win US midterms and vow to check Trump

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