🇿🇦Week of November 2

MK Party supporters were accused of an illegal breach of an IEC storage facility in KwaZulu-Natal, and more police were deployed in response. Ballot storage facilities have been targeted, election materials damaged and arrests made across several provinces, with thousands of police and the IEC moving to secure the voting process.123

The IEC issued a clarification of campaigning rules for Election Day. The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure said no campaigning would be permitted once midnight struck, and the South African National Defence Force was on standby for the elections.45

Earlier in the week, ballot boxes were stolen at a voting station in KwaNyuswa in KwaZulu-Natal and two voting stations in the province were closed. The IEC said the stolen ballot papers were unmarked and that voting materials at the affected stations remained sufficient.31

Police arrested five suspects and seized firearms after a farm robbery in Ventersdorp in which a farmer had his ears cut off. Earlier reports said two suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack. The victim was named as Donovan Marx, a South African farmer who was shot and tortured.1234

Julius Malema defended the 'Kill the Boer' chant, saying 'We never called for literal killing.' He shifted tone after the Ventersdorp farm torture and said farmers must be protected.56

The FF Plus and the DA will take MK Party figure Mngxitama to the South African Human Rights Commission and Parliament's ethics committee over his remarks on the farm attack.7

The Independent Electoral Commission confirmed that ballot boxes were stolen at a voting station in KwaNyuswa in KwaZulu-Natal, and that two voting stations in the province were closed. Ballot papers and a security stamp were reported stolen from the station. The theft came as special voting was under way ahead of the local government elections.1234

The IEC said the stolen ballot papers were unmarked, and maintained that voting materials at the affected stations remain sufficient. The commission's account of the theft was carried alongside its assurance on supplies.15

The theft put the whole of eThekwini on alert, with the metro named as the area affected beyond the KwaNyuswa station itself.2

South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission has recorded more than 700 cases of election-related disinformation ahead of the local government elections. The commission also reported 34 election misinformation complaints, with candidates and supporters facing arrests.12

A partnership for information integrity and elections programme met to discuss potential threats and solutions before the polls. Rigging claims and anti-migrant posts have raised fears of clashes at polling stations.34

Experts warned that artificial intelligence and ultra-cheap disinformation threaten voter trust. The warnings came as the information integrity programme met on the eve of the vote.5

Lastborn Shazi, an MK Party regional organiser, was shot and killed at his home in Umzumbe on KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast. SABC News reported that he was shot on Monday night. The killing came days before South Africa's local government elections.1234

The MK Party called on the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure, the PKTT, to investigate the murder of its regional organiser. The party's demand followed the shooting at Shazi's home in the Ugu region.56

Attributed claim: Coverage of the killing differed in how firmly it tied the shooting to the election. IOL and The Mercury, both centre or mixed outlets, headlined the death as an alleged shooting of an MK Party organiser ahead of the local elections, while TimesLIVE and SABC News reported the killing at his home without that framing in the headline.7821

Twenty murders have been linked to the 2026 local government election campaign, and seven arrests have been made, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) said ahead of Wednesday's vote. Special voting began on Monday and continues on Tuesday.12

NATJOINTS assured the public of a heightened security presence on election day, and police in Gauteng promised safe elections in a province it identified as having 119 high-risk voting stations. The Gauteng safety committee called for tighter security before the polls.345

The South African National Defence Force is on standby, and police warned of tough action against anyone disrupting the elections. Protesters were told to end their marches by midnight on Tuesday.67

In KwaZulu-Natal, Premier Ntuli said measures are in place to ensure free and fair polls. A security analyst said extensive security measures are vital to ensure peaceful elections.89

NATJOINTS later assured the public of tight security for the voter registration weekend.10

Special voting for South Africa's local government elections began with ballot papers arriving late in Cape Town, leaving 217 voting stations in the metro unable to open on time. The IEC also began home visits for voters approved for special voting.123

In KwaZulu-Natal, ballot boxes were stolen as special voting got under way. Martin Meyer urged special voters in the province to turn out for the local elections.45

The IEC deployed 250 teams across Amajuba District to conduct home visits, and officials urged approved special voters to remain at home until IEC staff arrive. In uPhongolo, older women said they wanted elected councillors to deliver on promises by addressing water issues.678

Rain slowed special voting at stations across Soweto, where a woman who has voted since 1994 said she hoped for meaningful change.910

Days later, reports described scores of Cape Town stations as unprepared and ballot delays as disrupting special voting across the Cape Metro.111213

The ANC and the DA have centralised their coalition negotiations ahead of local elections, with hung councils threatening key metros. Gauteng's ANC is divided over who to work with after Wednesday's vote.123

DA leader John Steenhuisen's future, as framed by McKenzie, is described as being in the ANC's hands, with a warning of shifting coalition politics before the elections.4

The ANC-DA poll face-off is playing out in metro races that could redraw South African politics, with hung councils the central risk.35

South Africa faces a decision as soon as Monday on whether it keeps its trade benefits under AGOA, the US programme, with Washington set to rule on the country's eligibility. Business Day reported the US is set to decide South Africa's Agoa eligibility in the political week ahead.1

President Cyril Ramaphosa has refused to accept five demands from US President Donald Trump that were set as the price of restoring US ties, and is preparing the country for trade fallout. Trump gave Africa's largest economy the five demands to restore relations, Business Insider Africa reported.2

Ramaphosa also rejected claims that Afrikaners are being targeted in South Africa. Scrolla.Africa reported the rejection in its Trump Watch coverage.3

Cosatu's Matthew Parks set out the union's position on AGOA, job losses and South Africa's trade options as the deadline approached. Wandile Sihlobo revisited the 2014 advice that South Africa leave AGOA and asked what would have happened had the country done so.45

Johannesburg residents took to the streets for four consecutive days over water cuts, with protests spreading as electricity and refuse-collection services also failed. Some residents broke open fire hydrants illegally, and private water sales drew an official warning.123

The outages have run into a second week in the city. Rand Water has restricted supply to Johannesburg and Tshwane, warning municipalities over excessive water consumption, and Joburg Water said the city may only see relief from dry taps in three months.41

The Financial Times ties the dry taps to wider failures facing the ANC, listing sewage spills, power cuts and bad roads alongside the water interruptions. BusinessTech describes the system as on "the brink of total collapse".23

Residents in affected areas have pushed back on calls to cut usage, arguing they cannot reduce consumption when they have no water. One resident said: "This thing is killing us."14