Ongoing

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

Police arrest 27 suspects on election voting day

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

Police recorded 85 incidents and registered 57 case dockets across South Africa on voting day, SAPS deputy national commissioner Tebello Mosikili said. The largest group, 32 cases, involved contraventions of the Electoral Act.

Mosikili gave the figures at a media briefing at the Electoral Commission of SA results centre in Midrand on Thursday. KwaZulu-Natal had the most voting-day cases of any province, with 15 cases and six arrests.

Police also gave figures for special voting between Monday and Tuesday. They registered 65 criminal case dockets and arrested 32 suspects in that period.

Mosikili said the 27 voting-day arrests show that law enforcement agencies responded quickly and worked effectively. She said police did more than stay visible and prevent incidents: they also arrested suspects, investigated and moved cases into the justice system.

She added that the rule of law protects the election, and that police will not tolerate intimidation, violence, misconduct or crime linked to it.

Key facts

Who
Tebello Mosikili (South African Police Service deputy national commissioner (Lt-Gen)); South African Police Service (police service giving election-related arrest figures); Electoral Commission of SA (host of the media briefing at its results centre in Midrand)
What
SAPS deputy national commissioner Tebello Mosikili gave police figures on election-related arrests on voting day and during special voting at a media briefing at the IEC results centre in Midrand. Provincial breakdowns of cases and arrests were given.
When
5 November 2026
Where
Midrand, South Africa, Eastern Cape
Status
Reported

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