JOHANNESBURG – A female councillor for the ANC has sadly passed away during the Joburg Council meeting today. The inaugural meeting – in which the Speaker, Mayor and Chief Whip are being elected – was adjourned when the councillor fell ill and collapsed, apparently battling to breath. She was led out of the chambers by medics shortly […]

JOHANNESBURG – Democratic Alliance (DA) Councillor Vasco Da Gama has been elected as Speaker of the Johannesburg Council… and it’s – predictably – launched a wave of tweets: …and cue the sailing and sailor puns. And go!!! #VascoDaGama #JoburgCouncil — Michael 🍏 (@TheMikeAppel) August 22, 2016 Jesus is back and he didn't come back alone. #VascoDaGama https://t.co/xyFiM3LIar […]

JOHANNESBURG – The Joburg Council was forced to adjourn after a scuffle broke out between party agents over the secret ballot and voting process. The IEC has however said it’s satisfied with the process and counting, and has called for proceedings to continue. The scuffle had broken out between the EFF Deputy President and an unknown Councillor. Both had […]

The Democratic Alliance has condemned “the cold-blooded assassination” of its councillor, Johannes Baaitjies, on Wednesday night.  In a statement on the DA website, it said “Baaitjies was found lying on his face on the main road between Danielskuil and Postmasburg [Wednesday] night. He was shot twice in the head and once in the upper body, and dragged […]

PRETORIA – Newly elected Tshwane mayor, the DA’s Solly Msimanga, declared that today “corruption, cronyism, nepotism and patronage comes to an end” in the capital. He said there will be no more “blue lights” and that Tshwane is to be a city for all the people and not just a small-connected group. Msimanga was sworn in […]

#DieStem is trending at the top of Twitter in South Africa after EFF commander in chief Julius Malema revealed Wednesday that one of the EFF’s conditions for #CoalitionTalks included the removal of Die Stem. Other conditions were land appropriation, nationalisation and free education. Further conditions to the ANC included remove eTolls and Jacob Zuma as SA President, […]

The local elections ten days ago sent loud signals to all but the stone deaf, of which there remain many. Compared to previous national jousts, many walked away from the ANC, NFP or Cope; many of whom elected then to vote DA, EFF or IFP. Or stayed away in disgust. But in 27 municipalities (10% […]

South African musician Don Clarke wasn’t sure whether local audiences were ready for his next song – “Blame It On The Whites”. After his extremely successful Zuma Must Fall video, Don was worried this one could be “completely misunderstood” and asked Facebook friends whether it was worth posting or not. He explained that “ultimately it’s a reconciliation song […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Anti-rape activists protested on Saturday as South African President Jacob Zuma delivered his first remarks since local elections gave his African National Congress (ANC) its worst results since 1994. Zuma ignored the protest while his security guards stood nearby, apparently surprised by the protest by four women dressed in black and holding […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – The African National Congress lost its grip on local government in Tshwane, home of the South African capital Pretoria, as results on Saturday gave the opposition Democratic Alliance a second big win in the ANC’s worst election since the end of apartheid. The results of Wednesday’s voting have reshaped the political landscape […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – President Jacob Zuma said on Saturday that Wednesday’s municipal elections had been well run and proved that South Africa’s democracy was maturing, in his first public remarks since results were announced. Zuma’s ruling African National Congress suffered its worst results since the end of apartheid in 1994, undermined by high unemployment, economic […]

Nando’s South Africa has done it again – seizing a political moment in South Africa to cleverly advertise one of their products… The advert features “President Jacob Zuma” playing a truth or dare game in which he’s asked if he’s really going to pay back the money. With this video, which was uploaded yesterday, Nando’s said: […]

PRETORIA – In a nail-biting finish, all the votes from the capital city have been captured with the DA winning the most votes. The results for Tshwane, which were finalised after 12pm, showed that the Democratic Alliance (DA) garnered 43.10% or 381 022 of the votes. The ruling African National Congress followed closely with 41.48% […]

PRETORIA – All eyes are on Gauteng’s metropolitan municipalities –Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni – as vote counting enters day three. It’s the final stretch for Gauteng which is home to the three metros. By 6:30am on Saturday the Electoral Commission (IEC) had counted and validated 94% of the votes in the province with the ANC leading […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – A party of South African radical leftists has emerged as electoral kingmaker in major cities Pretoria and Johannesburg, giving a first taste of power to an ANC renegade who was once an acolyte of President Jacob Zuma. This week’s municipal elections have shown just slender nationwide gains for Julius Malema’s red beret-wearing […]

PRETORIA (Reuters) – South Africa’s ANC was on track for its worst electoral performance since the end of apartheid on Friday as voters vented anger about high unemployment and corruption in municipal elections that herald a sea change in politics and society. The African National Congress has ruled virtually unopposed since it ended white-minority rule […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) mayoral candidate Athol Trollip addressed DA supporters outside the election results centre in Zwide after it became apparent the DA had won the most votes in the metro. (Watch video below). Meanwhile it’s neck and neck for the country’s leading parties – the DA and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) […]

PRETORIA (Reuters) – South Africa’s ruling party was on track for its worst electoral performance since coming to power two decades ago, poised to lose control of a key metropolitan area in a reflection of rising anger over a stubbornly high jobless rate and a lack of basic services. Support for the African National Congress […]

PRETORIA (Reuters) Updated 14h40 – South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance led in three major cities on Thursday as votes were counted in local elections, threatening to deal the biggest electoral blow to the African National Congress since the end of apartheid two decades ago. The ANC – which ended white-minority rule when it won power […]

JOHANNESBURG (Updated at 15h45 local time.) – As the votes are tallied South African opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), is currently leading in Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay but has dropped to a tie with the ANC in Tshwane. All three are key districts which were previously held by the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC […]

PRETORIA – The first lot of votes has been counted in South Africa’s fifth democratic Municipal Elections, which have been described as the most hotly contested since 1994. By 1am, the African National Congress (ANC) had secured 53.47 percent of the votes, the Democratic Alliance (DA) had received 32.95% and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) had only 5.03 percent. […]

It was inevitable that the rumour mill would go into overdrive in the lead up to the Elections today in South Africa, with different parties trying to discredit each other. Two of the biggest stories – that are still being erroneously shared today – involve Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane, and 80,000 stolen ballot papers. […]

PRETORIA – On the eve of Election Day as a first time voter or not, you might still be unsure about how to go about voting in the Municipal Elections. Here are some guidelines… As a registered voter you need not be anxious about the voting process. What is important to remember is that you […]

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) could lose major cities at local elections this week, including places it has held virtually unchallenged since the end of white-minority rule 22 years ago, Mana Rabiee reports for Reuters. Corruption allegations and massive unemployment are said to be largely to blame for voters becoming disenchanted with the ruling ANC. […]

PRETORIA – The Electoral Commission (IEC) says the stolen ballot papers in Soweto will have no impact on the integrity of the elections. The ballot papers, which were stored in boxes, were stolen out of a delivery truck in Dobsonville on Thursday night. The Electoral Commission has established that the boxes contained ballot papers for Ward […]