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  1. ElectionsHot
  2. US mid-termsHeating up
  3. AICooling
NewsbriefSouth Africa, briefly.
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Elections Hot

What you need to know

Polokwane in Limpopo has been declared a hung council after the local elections, which brings the number of hung municipalities in the province to 10. Before that, the IEC announced the final results of the 4 November elections on 8 November, and President Cyril Ramaphosa told parties to put communities before power and positions.

In Johannesburg the DA won 91 seats but needs 136 to govern alone, and the ANC fell by 28 seats to 63. Earlier, the ANC in Gauteng sent about 35 objections to the IEC, while the IEC said objections would not delay the results.

Before the announcement, projections showed 128 councils would be hung, and Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa planned a special meeting with provincial MECs to finalise coalition guidelines.

  1. IEC declares 2026 local elections free and fair
  2. Polokwane declared a hung council after local elections
  3. Ramaphosa urges parties to form councils without delay

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 registered voters, filing its notice of dismissal on 7 November. Democrats won both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections on 3 November, with at least a 54-44 Senate majority and at least 30 House seats gained.

Party leaders said they would use the win to rein in President Donald Trump, while exit polls showed voters angry about high prices. 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.

Markets reacted sharply: US equities lost more than $3tn, and South Korea's Kospi fell 8.5%, while Trump blamed the Democrats' win and analysts pointed to worries about AI investment.

  1. Trump says he will likely meet Putin and Xi in China
  2. Podcast says US midterms leave Musk and data centres exposed
  3. US justice department drops California mail-in ballot lawsuit

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