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Mazibuko works in the coalitions programme at the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD). He also expects hung councils in parts of Mpumalanga, the Free State, the Northern Cape and the southern Eastern Cape.

Turnout in the 2021 Local Government Elections was 45.86%. Mazibuko says turnout has continued to decline. He said same-day voter registration is one reform the National Assembly could consider in future. He warned that online voting carries a risk of hacking and should be avoided.

Mazibuko said bad actors find WhatsApp, X and Facebook easier to infiltrate to spread false information. He said: "This is an issue the IEC is seized with".

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs proposes the Municipal Structures Amendment Bill, 2026, known as the Coalition Bill. Mazibuko said the bill is at an early stage and needs more work.Share

The province has 5,028 voting stations. Of these, 4,988 received special vote applications. Masinga said the other 40 stations will not open for special votes.

The municipality of eThekwini has the most approved special votes, at 101,470. Newcastle has 16,307 and Msunduzi has 14,603.

Masinga said ballot boxes and a training module were stolen at Zambeni, Amahlongwa Community Hall. She also said members of the MK Party went to the Umzinto Town Hall voting station to ask about the distribution of election materials.

Masinga said a person at Umzinto Town Hall claimed to be a member of the Political Liaison Committee, but had not taken part in earlier committee meetings. She said late police escorts and a vehicle breakdown caused delays.Share

The IEC said 2.6-million people were expected to vote during special voting on Monday and Tuesday. It deployed 127,000 officials to oversee that voting.

IEC official Kgosietsile Tshoke said voters must check their voting station and bring an accepted ID. He also told voters to arrive on time and follow the Electoral Code of Conduct.

Voters can check their station details by SMS to 32810 at R1 per SMS, or by WhatsApp on 0600 88 0000. Parliament's Presiding Officers, Speaker Thoko Didiza and NCOP Chairperson Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, urged people to vote.

Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth asked employers to release workers so they can vote.Share

Morero cast his special vote in the local government elections and said he voted for the African National Congress (ANC). Over 2 million voters registered for special votes in the elections.

He said the ANC had done a lot of campaigning work in the last 18 months and that its support base remained strong. He said the last three weeks had been tough.

Asked about water and waste problems in Johannesburg, Morero said some systems in Soweto had recovered. He said this showed the interventions and work under way.Share

Lebeya retired as Hawks head in May 2025. Cachalia said his decision does not stop cabinet from exercising its mind. He said the decision needs a cabinet process and a parliamentary process to be complete.

Cachalia also defended announcing the appointment. He said the police service is criticised for being indecisive and for having too many acting appointments.

Mkhwanazi joined the South African Police Service as a student constable in 1993. He became KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner in December 2018. At a media briefing on 6 July 2025, he alleged that criminal syndicates had infiltrated law enforcement and that senior political and police figures had interfered in sensitive investigations.Share

Price said he expects the parties and people elected to lead municipalities to put the needs of citizens first. He named an improvement in service delivery as one of those needs. He also said he and his wife were excited to cast their votes.

Price also spoke about government and the constitution. He criticised the African National Congress (ANC) while he voted. He said: "I think the ANC has disappointed us a bit, but I hope we are going to be able to do a lot better".Share

Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi spoke at the IEC Results Operations Centre in Midrand. He also responded to concerns about the position of voting booths and the privacy of voters.

Shiburi said booths should stand in an "ATM position", so the voter's body hides the ballot paper from anyone behind them. He explained the idea this way: "You obscure the keypad, in this instance the ballot paper, with your body."

Shiburi said this placement is critical to protect the right to vote in secret. He said it also stops people from inducing voters to make a mark, take a picture or hand over a ballot in exchange for something.Share

The strike took place on 2 November, on the eve of the US midterm elections. Washington said the move was defensive.

President Donald Trump and the Republicans have found it hard to defend the war against Iran in their campaigns. Reports say the war is unpopular.Share

Nkaro Mateta, the IEC's Provincial Electoral Officer in Limpopo, spoke about the 12 stations. They include one at Ga-Chokoe outside Mokopane. He said voter intimidation was reported at Ga-Chokoe during the last voter registration period.

Mateta said the intimidation meant some residents did not register or apply for special votes. He said some voters were threatened during the registration weekend. For two days, he said, no one came to check details, register or re-register.

Mateta spoke about election day, which is on Wednesday. He said: "We are hopeful that perhaps on election day, which is on Wednesday, this will be the last opportunity for them to decide who will lead their areas".Share

Ithuba Lottery and Ringeta Consortium brought the review. The court declared the licence agreement invalid but suspended that declaration for two consecutive six-month periods. It told Tau to reconsider the award without the report of the ministerial committee.

The court found that Tau acted unfairly in procedure and in substance. It said he secretly appointed a separate ministerial committee to re-evaluate the bids outside the Request for Proposals process. One report said the National Lotteries Commission must pay costs.

Sizekhaya said the decision concerned a technical issue in the award process. It said the court made no adverse findings against it on any of the grounds Ithuba and Ringeta raised. The company said tickets are still on sale, draws will go ahead and prizes will be paid.

Sizekhaya said the court suspended its order to protect the public interest, because good causes depend on the lottery running without interruption.Share

Terry Tselane, a former IEC commissioner and vice chairperson, explained why the elections cost so much. He said the technology used is not cheap and needs a lot of resources.

Tselane said the voting machine now in use cost a lot of money. He said the fleet of machines must also be maintained.

He recalled that opening voting stations for a registration weekend a few years back cost about R360 million. He said that sum covered stations, infrastructure, electoral staff and stipends.Share

Johannesburg Water expects storage to reach about 50% by the end of the week. Lesufi said the water losses in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane came from El Niño and related factors, as he was told. He said the deployment of the water and sanitation deputy minister and technical teams helped stabilise the system.

Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero said Crown Gardens, Berea and Kensington had seen improvements. He said Kensington was the worst hit and the city had restored it. Morero said the city bought 20 tankers in 2025 and 16 more in a second phase.

Morero said replacing ageing water infrastructure would cost R13bn. He said the investment would save the city about R300m in its water business. Reports said interventions could cut water losses by at least 10% in the short term.

Henk Boshoff, chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission, said municipalities should stop spending hundreds of millions of rand on water tankers. He said service providers and municipal officials are sabotaging infrastructure. WaterCAN executive manager Ferrial Adam said Johannesburg Water and the province should have seen the crisis coming.Share

Helen Zille, the DA candidate for Johannesburg, defended her party's national coalition with the ANC. She said the alternative is the "doomsday option". Bongani Baloyi of the MK Party ruled out working with the DA or the FF Plus.

Herman Mashaba, the ActionSA candidate for Johannesburg, said he fired more than 900 people for incompetence and corruption. He said: "I’m not in this job to make friends." Willie Spies, the FF Plus candidate for Tshwane, said his party is building "a new majority".

In Ekurhuleni, ANC candidate Jongizizwe Dlabathi said the metro "is not a crime scene". He said R840 million of the R2 billion lost through under-collected electricity has been recovered. EFF candidate Nthabiseng Tshivhenga said vetting found more than 200 metro police officers with criminal records.Share

Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo told a media briefing on Monday evening that all logistical difficulties were resolved during the day. He described the count of 780,000 as conservative. The commission said 217 voting stations in the City of Cape Town had delays.

The commission expects 2.6 million voters to cast special votes on Monday and Tuesday. Mamabolo said Tuesday would be much improved and Wednesday would be better still. He also offered an apology to affected voters.

Ballot papers were late after about 28 million had to be reprinted in 107 municipalities. The reprint followed a Constitutional Court ruling of 15 October that ordered 181 ANC candidates reinstated, with 32 other parties given the same relief. About 29 million South Africans are registered to vote in the municipal polls.

Democratic Alliance (DA) voters have written to the commission to complain about the delays, reports said. DA federal council chair Ashor Sarupen said the commission should convene an urgent meeting of the party liaison committee on the failures that caused the delay.Share

Masinga said 148 voting stations are tents. In some informal settlements, no permanent building is available. She said: "there is absolutely no permanent structure we can use as a voting station".

Masinga said temporary service providers are on standby. They will put the tents up again if anything happens to them. She spoke at the briefing on Monday.Share

Greer said the US is concerned by barriers to US trade and investment, corruption, and threats to US national security and foreign policy interests in South Africa. The office of the US trade representative also accused South Africa of high tariffs on US poultry, wine and spirits, and of unjustified animal health limits on US pork.

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said Agoa remains important but is not the whole economic relationship with the US. He said government will speed up the diversification of export markets to protect jobs. Tau also said the US is raising new issues that were not part of talks that began in 2025.

Cosatu said thousands of agricultural and manufacturing jobs are at risk. The Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa called the exclusion a blow to the industry. Its chief executive, Boitshoko Ntshabele, said the US consumer will lose too.

Reports put Agoa goods at about 10% of South Africa's exports to the US in 2025. Tau said 89% of South African exports entered the US under ordinary World Trade Organisation terms that year.Share

Mnguni spoke in an interview with presenter John Perlman on 702. He said contract workers earn far less than permanent city employees who do the same work.

He gave the example of a worker on a truck contracted by the waste removal company Pick It Up. Mnguni said the worker earned R10,000 before moving to a new contractor and R5,800 after. He said a full-time city employee on the same truck earns about 18,000 rands.

Mnguni argued that privatising critical assets would leave poor people behind. He said the city would lose its ability to set policy for indigent households. He said privatising water in Bolivia led to a revolution.

He also said money is siphoned from the city through contracts while contract workers are paid less. On grass cutting, he said: "You don't need to outsource grass cutting contracts because you'll always need to grass cut,"Share

Residents said they last saw water flow from their taps 4 days ago. They said the City of Johannesburg is failing to give households a reliable supply.

Mmapule Ramadibane waited at home for Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officials to assist her husband with special voting. She asked how residents can be expected to vote when they are thirsty, and said government is failing them.

Ramadibane said: "There is no water, our rubbish bins haven’t been emptied, but we’re still expected to vote?"Share

McKenzie spoke to party supporters on Facebook on Sunday evening. He said of the fourth-place goal: "That's what we're aiming for." The EFF now holds fourth place.

Ipsos data puts the EFF at about 10% of the vote in Wednesday's elections, behind the ANC, the DA and the MK Party. Ipsos forecasts the PA at 1% in Johannesburg and 4% in Cape Town.

The PA won 0.95% of the vote in the 2021 municipal elections and 77 council seats. In the 2024 national elections it won 2.06% and nine seats.Share

ActionSA's KwaZulu-Natal chairperson, Zwakele Mncwango, said the party was disturbed by two serious incidents involving its members and their families over the weekend. He said the timing, just days before the elections, is deeply concerning. He called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to investigate.

Preliminary reports said Mkhize was stabbed with a knife and strangled just outside her home. She was an activist and the party's candidate in Mnyameni, in the Maphumulo Local Municipality.

Mncwango said: "Political differences must never lead to violence or loss of life". At least 50 people have died in suspected political murders this election year.

A September report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime counted 43 suspected political assassinations since January. Police have opened 139 election-related criminal cases and arrested 48 suspects. National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola said KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of high-risk voting stations in the country.Share

The IEC said the theft was reported to the uMkomaas police station. It also reported other incidents in its KwaZulu-Natal special voting update, including police escort and vehicle delays. The commission said the delays and problems at voting stations had been attended to.

In Umzinto, MK Party members approached a voting station at Umzinto Town Hall and asked for information about how election material is distributed. The IEC said a person who claimed to be a Political Liaison Committee (PLC) member was also at the hall. It said that person had not taken part in earlier PLC meetings.

The IEC said PLC members were reminded that the storage locations of election materials are confidential and may not be disclosed to unauthorised persons.

The IEC approved 362,878 special vote applications in KwaZulu-Natal. Of these, 211,449 are for visits to voting stations and 151,429 are for home visits. The province has 5,028 voting stations, and 4,988 of them received applications. The other 40 received none and will not open for special voting.Share

The commission said in a statement that its monitors will visit voting districts in urban, peri-urban and rural communities. They will also go to informal settlements.

The commission will publish an Election Monitoring Report after the elections.Share

Mokgosi said he will cast his vote at Naledi Local Municipality Ward 3 in Vryburg. He will vote at the Kismet Park Hall Voting District at 10am on Wednesday, 4 November.

In a statement issued as Special Voting began, Mokgosi said: "The strength of our democracy lies in the participation of its people. Every vote matters, and every voice deserves to be heard."Share

Police spokesperson Mashays Gamaldien said it is believed that the vehicle rolled before it came to a standstill on its side. Mietas was found dead at the scene.

The passenger received treatment at the hospital in Calvinia. Gamaldien said the deceased is believed to be from the Karoo Highland Municipality.Share

Police accuse Makhanya of verbally attacking provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in a video on social media. He faces charges of crimen injuria and inciting violence. The fact sheet places the rally at Princess Magogo Stadium in Greenwood Park.

State prosecutor Nkululeko Mosia asked for bail of R10,000. Advocate Mzonjani Zulu, for Makhanya, said his client is unemployed and could afford only R1,000. Magistrate B Singh set bail at R7,000.

Singh said Makhanya laughed in the dock, which she took as a sign of disregard for the law. The magistrate told him: "This is a serious matter, you need to take it seriously".Share

Masego Shiburi, Deputy Chief Electoral Commissioner of the IEC, spoke at a media briefing at the Results Operation Centre in Midrand. She said voters were being assisted smoothly in most cases. At 10:30am, stations in 10 of 116 wards in Cape Town had opened for special votes.

Stations stay open until 5pm on Monday and Tuesday. Ordinary voting resumes on 4 November. Voters can check station details by SMS at R1 per SMS.

About 2.6 million people are registered for special voting across the country. In Diepkloof East, Soweto, elderly and disabled voters cast ballots at an IEC station inside Footprints Hospice. An 82-year-old woman there said: "My vote will bring a change."

IEC official Mamabolo said: "Notwithstanding these unfortunate incidents, the Commission is overall establishing a strong performance across the country." He expects further improvement on the second day.Share

Parliament's spokesperson Moloto Mothapo shared the statement from the two Presiding Officers. It says residents should encourage councillors and take part in municipal planning and budgeting.

The Presiding Officers also said voters should hold their representatives accountable for service delivery. Monday and Tuesday are set aside for voters who applied for special votes.Share

The commission released findings from its inquiry into water and sanitation services in Gauteng on Monday. It named ageing infrastructure, high water losses, poor maintenance and too little storage and pumping capacity as causes. Commissioner Henk Boshoff said having plans in place is not enough.

Boshoff said municipal employees and tanker service providers benefit from continued tanker procurement. He also said some officials and providers sabotage infrastructure to create openings for tanker contracts. Metropolitan municipalities spend hundreds of millions of rands a year on tankering, he said.

The report says the City of Tshwane spent R47m on tankering in 2021/2022, R777m in 2024/2025 and R326m in 2025/2026. It also says Tshwane loses R1.7bn worth of water each year. Johannesburg loses 44.8% of its water, worth R2.82bn.

The commission recommended that municipalities find critical weaknesses and make sure reservoirs can withstand disruptions. It urged the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the three metros to draw up guidelines for reliable tanker services. Boshoff said the commission will keep monitoring municipalities and hold them accountable.Share

Special voting lets eligible voters who cannot reach their polling stations on Voting Day cast their votes early. At the Akasia station in Karenpark, 5318 people had registered for special votes. Presiding Officer Boitumelo Marx ran the station.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said the 2.65 million approved applications are a 131% increase on the 2021 Local Government Elections. IEC officials are visiting voters who cannot reach voting stations. Voters who miss Monday can vote on Tuesday.

In eThekwini, voting began despite heavy rain and a Yellow Level 4 warning from the South African Weather Service for most of KwaZulu-Natal. The weather service warned of heavy downpours and hail. It said spring weather is likely to vary across the country during the voting period.

Voter Sathiel Mathekge chose a special vote because of ill-health. He said voting was his only chance to be heard and to bring change to his community.Share

IEC deputy CEO for Electoral Operations Masego Sheburi announced the death at a media briefing in Midrand on Monday. He said: "With a sad heart, we announce the passing of a presiding officer who collapsed at a voting station and has sadly passed on in Mahikeng."

The injured deputy presiding officer was travelling in the uKhahlamba district of KwaZulu-Natal when the accident happened. The commission said she was taken to hospital.

Sheburi said the commission was recording a strong performance across the country. He said the IEC expected further improvements on the second day of special voting.

Voters can check their voting station by sending their ID number by SMS to 32810. They can also phone the IEC on 0800 11 8000.Share