Duduzane Zuma answers eight key questions as MK fights for a place in government

There will be no shenanigans, no political lifelines and no coalitions just for the sake of it, says Duduzane Zuma as he lays out the MK party’s approach to government and explains why its leadership reshuffles do not worry him.

DA emerges as largest party in five Gauteng hubs, but ActionSA holds the key

The DA emerged as the largest party in five key Gauteng municipalities, but governing them will require coalition deals – with ActionSA central to forming majorities across several councils.

Matlala turns tables on Idac investigator Perumal in explosive testimony

Cat Matlala’s explosive Madlanga Commission testimony challenges suspended Idac investigator Dylan Perumal’s investigation, revives claims of threats by Shadrack Sibiya and exposes conflicting accounts of tender-related payments.

The Nobel peace prize has come home, says SA’s latest laureate, Navi Pillay

South African judge Navi Pillay, named 2026 Nobel peace laureate, says the prize has returned to its rightful home: the pursuit of justice.

Watch – How five ancient baobabs nearly left South Africa for a billionaire’s park

Watch – How five ancient baobabs nearly left South Africa for a billionaire’s park

Out the gate

Motlanthe urges cops to target the cartel Big Boys to overhaul Africa’s drug policies

The world’s illicit drug landscape has changed, and to continue the fight requires new policies. One of these, explained former president Kgalema Motlanthe, who chairs the Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs, is the need for law enforcers to go after top traffickers instead of users, who are often arrested and simply add to overcrowded prisons.

Business is betting on a post-ANC Joburg — unless ego gets in the way

From Redefine Properties’ Joburg vacancies to Growthpoint’s Waterfall strategy, property companies are adapting to municipal dysfunction while watching coalition negotiations.

SACP’s strong showing signals end of the Tripartite Alliance

In its first showing, the SACP beat the Patriotic Alliance, winning 271 seats.

How to check local election results for your municipality and ward

Find live 2026 local election results for your municipality, ward and the metros, see which councils are hung so far and find out when the IEC is expected to declare the final count.

From service delivery to migration, local elections 2026 underscore what really matters to Mzansi

In the next few days we are likely to learn much about the personal egos of certain leaders. In the meantime it is important to reflect on what the local elections have revealed about voters and the future direction of South Africa.

Beyond state jobs — Thuli Madonsela on the Constitution’s true economic mandate

According to Prof Thuli Madonsela, one of the drafters of South Africa’s founding document, it is not the government’s responsibility to provide jobs to citizens; rather, the Constitution guarantees the right to justice within a fair economic system.

Herman Mashaba: ‘Very, very slim’ chance of coalitions with the DA

With 14 days from Monday, 8 November, to hammer out coalition agreements in 139 councils across the country, it’s all eyes on the kingmaker party ActionSA, which has won 55 wards to hold the cards in three key Gauteng metros.

Ups and downs

Raid, arrest, extort, release — police shakedown of immigrants for bribes ‘now routine’

With anti-immigrant fervour and crackdowns sweeping through South Africa, some police officers have reportedly sought to cash in. Viewfinder interviewed two groups of foreign nationals who say they are now regularly extorted by police officers where they live and work.

Joburg after the vote: four things to watch as coalition talks begin

The DA opened a historic gap on the ANC in Johannesburg but fell short of 40%. With 15 smaller parties holding seats, building a coalition will test every negotiator in the city.

Nations Championship title on priority list as Springboks go full strength for France

Rassie Erasmus has made only two changes to his match-day 23 from the team that thrashed Italy, for Friday’s Nations Championship round five game against France in Paris.

KZN coalition dilemma: Will election losers find their way back to power?

As political parties begin to negotiate for control of 32 hung councils across KwaZulu-Natal, the deals they strike could have consequences beyond local government, possibly straining the ANC, IFP and DA’s provincial coalition, particularly if some opt to work with the MK party.

The DA hammered the ANC in Emfuleni — the how and the why

The most important result of the 2026 municipal elections is in Gauteng, and it’s not Johannesburg, Tshwane or Ekurhuleni. While these metros are pivotal, what happened in Emfuleni Municipality, a place of nearly a million people and the heart of the Vaal Triangle, has the potential to be utterly transformational.

No protection, high risk — the harsh realities faced by SA’s e-riders

From high-crime delivery zones to retaliatory account bans, a new study uncovers how digital food delivery platforms trap South African workers in dangerous, low-wage precarity.

Over 100 hung councils, 14 days: A negotiator’s rulebook for coalitions that last

Following South Africa’s society-shifting 4 November 2026 local elections, and as political parties start negotiations to establish municipal coalitions across the country, political maturity, putting the interests of the citizens first rather than party, ideological or patronage considerations, and using the Constitution as a guide, will be fundamental in securing successful negotiations that work for leaders, parties and citizens.

The voting is over, meet the power brokers who will negotiate your city’s coalition

More than 100 municipalities could be governed by coalitions. These party leaders will probably decide who runs them.

South Africans entering Nigeria and fuelling global cartel drug trafficking, security briefing hears

Francis Okogun, an anti-drug agency official in Nigeria, has countered a notion he says his South African counterparts often convey – that Nigerian citizens frequently traffic drugs. Okogun has pointed out that South Africans have recently been arrested in Nigeria in illicit drug cases and are allegedly helping cartels move consignments through that country.

DA goes on coalition offensive as battle for Nelson Mandela Bay begins

With no outright majority in Nelson Mandela Bay, coalition choices will shape efforts to restore water, electricity, refuse removal and accountable local government. The DA has emerged as the largest party with 53 of the 120 council seats and is approaching potential coalition partners.

Pele’s governance test: Why a private boardroom matters to SA’s energy transition

A governance crisis at Pele Energy Group has brought an important question into focus: How should a rapidly growing, founder-led South African renewable energy business balance entrepreneurial agility with the independent oversight required by institutional finance?

Peregrine falcons are taking over the high ground

Meet the feathered speedsters thriving above our traffic and the scientist who has spent decades studying them, dodging their claws and occasionally losing his hat.

Crossed Wires: What happens to Big Tech now after the midterms?

Democratic Party midterm victories may tighten AI oversight, but surging demand, vast investment and Big Tech’s global reach will keep the industry expanding.

CATCH UP | ‘The President will not resign’: Mbalula dismisses calls for Ramaphosa’s resignation

Follow our live coverage from the National Results Operations Centre as the Electoral Commission (IEC) announces the official election results.

Baobab trees seized in Durban ship warehouse probe

Criminal charges have been laid after officials in Durban halted the shipping of several specially protected South African baobab trees, allegedly destined for a ‘landscaping project’ in the Black Sea nation of Georgia.