Ongoing

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

Patriotic Alliance climbs into top three in Western Cape

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

With 58% of votes counted in the Western Cape, the Patriotic Alliance is second in the province and third in the City of Cape Town. The party was sixth in the 2021 local government elections.

Political analyst Sanusha Naidu said the Patriotic Alliance (PA) is generally in second or third place across the results. She said the party may win council seats even where it does not win wards. She described the trend as an early indication.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said results are coming in faster than in earlier municipal elections. By 9am on Thursday, 18 municipalities had completed the results process. The IEC tallies results at its operation centre at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng.

Key facts

Who
Electoral Commission of South Africa (election management body; says results are being processed faster than in…); Sanusha Naidu (political analyst); Patriotic Alliance (political party); Independent Electoral Commission (electoral body whose results website is referenced)
What
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says 2026 local government election results are being processed faster than in previous municipal elections, with 18 municipalities finished by 9am on Thursday. The article is a live results page directing readers to follow results in real time.
When
5 November 2026
Where
Midrand, Gauteng, Western Cape
Status
Developing

Elections Hot

What you need to know

The Electoral Commission (IEC) will announce the final 2026 local election results on Sunday evening, with more than 100 municipal councils hung. In Mpumalanga, the ANC's support fell to 43.6%, which reports describe as its lowest ever, and it lost Victor Khanye and Mbombela.

Before that, the IEC said objections would not delay results, with 197 received and 54 dismissed. Some parties dispute the count: the ANC in Sedibeng is preparing an Electoral Court challenge over the Vaal voters' roll, and the MK Party may go to court over Ethekwini.

Coalition talks come next, and the SACP says it will set strict conditions before it backs the ANC in hung councils.

  1. Ramaphosa urges parties to form councils without delay
  2. DA wins 91 seats in Johannesburg council, short of control
  3. IEC announces official local election results in Midrand

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