Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo has dismissed claims that Rand Water deliberately restricted water supplies to communities during the recent local government elections, as pressure mounts on municipalities and the bulk water utility over persistent shortages.

Addressing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation on Tuesday, Mahlobo defended Rand Water against accusations that it had deliberately throttled supplies, while calling for closer co-operation between water boards and municipalities.

“Recently we had elections and there were strong views that Rand Water has been throttling people, which is not true,” Mahlobo said.

His comments come amid growing concerns over water supply disruptions affecting communities, particularly in Gauteng, where residents have repeatedly complained about unreliable access to water.

In parts of Johannesburg, including Westbury, Coronationville and Westdene, residents have endured prolonged water outages, triggering protests and calls for urgent intervention by authorities.

Rand Water supplies bulk water

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More than 100 votes will have to be cast again in a Northern Cape community after ballot papers were destroyed when a counting centre was stormed, forcing the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to order a revote.

The Commission has scheduled a fresh election at Bongani Gemeenskapsaal Voting District in Ward 3 of the Siyancuma Local Municipality for 18 November, after more than 100 already-cast but uncounted ballot papers were destroyed.

The incident has prompted the IEC to invoke Section 10 of the Local Government Municipal Electoral Act, which empowers it to order a revote when ballot papers are lost, destroyed or unlawfully removed before counting is completed.

The Commission said the revote was intended to ensure that affected residents had a fair and equal opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote.

Under the arrangements announced on Tuesday, eligible voters can apply for special votes from 10 to 14 November.

Special voting will take place on 17 November between 08:00 and 17:00, either at Bongani Community Hall voting station or through approved home visits.

The main revote will take place the following day, 18 November, from 07:00 to 21:00.

However, the fresh vote will not involve the entire ward or municipality. Only voters registered on the voters’ roll for the affected Bongani Gemeenskapsaal Voting District will be allowed to participate.

Voters can apply for special votes through the IEC website, by sending their identity numbers to 32249 at a cost of R1 per SMS, or by submitting a completed MEC 35 application form at their local IEC office.

The Commission said it had launched a targeted communication campaign and would deploy Municipal Outreach Officers to inform residents about the arrangements.

It urged eligible voters to cooperate with the outreach teams and make use of the opportunity to cast their ballots on 18 November.

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The South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested 24 910 suspects, including 2 680 wanted individuals, during two weeks of nationwide operations targeting violent crime and other offences ahead of the festive season.

SAPS said on Monday that the arrests were made through its Safer Festive Season campaign and Operation Shanela II, which include high-density policing, patrols, vehicle checkpoints and compliance inspections.

In a separate breakdown covering 6 October to 8 November, police reported 265 arrests for murder, 233 for attempted murder and 308 for rape, including 33 rape suspects arrested in the Free State.

Another 16 suspects were arrested for attempted rape, 140 for illegal possession of firearms, 813 for possession of dangerous weapons and 112 for armed robbery.

ALSO READ: ANC in KZN says ‘serious introspection’ needed after heavy election losses

Drug-related arrests included 4 075 suspects for possession of drugs and 384 for dealing in drugs.

Police also arrested 2 466 suspects for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and 1 168 for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A further 2 593 people were arrested for contraventions of the Immigration Act, while 1 400 suspects were arrested for illegal dealing in liquor.

Police seized 224 unlicensed firearms, 2 630 rounds of ammunition and 1 310 dangerous weapons during the operations.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of handgun seizures at 26, followed by the Western Cape with 25.

Officers also recovered 85 hijacked and stolen vehicles and confiscated various drugs.

The operations coincided with heightened police deployments during the 4 November local government elections.

In Limpopo, two women were arrested in Khomisani and Mankweng for allegedly photographing their marked ballot papers, in contravention of electoral legislation.

ALSO READ: Salga calls for sweeping local government reforms as Mbanga warns current funding model is unsustainable

In KZN, police opened a burglary investigation after ballot papers, voting ink and other Electoral Commission materials were stolen from a voting station at Mnyameni High School in Hillcrest.

Police are also investigating why the materials were reportedly delivered to the school the night before voting without the required police escort.

Police said Operation Shanela II and other festive season operations would continue in identified crime hotspots across the country.

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The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has said it will undertake “serious introspection” and organisational renewal after suffering a major setback in the 2026 local government elections, acknowledging that voters had delivered a message it could not ignore.

In a statement issued on Monday night, the party conceded that its performance had fallen well short of expectations and said it had begun examining the political, organisational and governance failures behind its declining support.

“The outcome calls for serious introspection, organisational renewal and a renewed commitment to putting communities at the centre of local government. The very future of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) depends on how we respond to the current challenge,” it said.

ALSO READ: Zille refuses to retract allegations as Malema threatens legal action

The party secured about 20% of the provincial vote in 2026, compared with more than 40% in the 2021 municipal elections.

It was overtaken by former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), which secured about 35% of the proportional representation vote, while the IFP secured about 20%.

But, said the party, its performance showed early signs of recovery when compared with the 2024 provincial elections.

“Compared with the 2021 Local Government Elections, our decline is severe. We have lost more than half of the provincial vote share we won at the local level five years ago. Compared with the 2024 provincial elections, the most recent test of our support, the picture shows the first signs of recovery. The ANC’s share of the vote rose to 20.0%, a gain of 3.0 percentage points from 17% in 2024.”

The party also pointed to the number of wards it won and an increase in its total votes.

“The recovery is evident in the number of wards won, with the ANC securing 121 wards. It successfully retained 41 of the wards it previously held in 2024 and gained an impressive 80 additional wards. The ANC also received more votes than it did in 2024, rising from 589 739 to 637 083, an increase of 47 344 votes.”

It said that progress in extending basic services and infrastructure had not translated into the levels of public satisfaction and confidence it had expected.

It said communities had legitimate concerns about local governance, service delivery, accountability, responsiveness and the conduct of some public representatives.

The ANC said it had begun a “comprehensive review” of the election results to identify the factors behind its declining support and the political, organisational and governance challenges requiring urgent attention.

ALSO READ: SA wants to become global hub for prison training

“This process will not be about finding convenient explanations or shifting responsibility, but about drawing the necessary lessons and taking corrective action,” it said.

The party said it remained committed to serving communities despite the changed political landscape.  

“The message from the electorate has been received. The ANC has listened, will reflect, correct and rebuild.”

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South Africa’s local government transformation programme effectively fizzled out within three years of its introduction, which has had dire consequences for municipalities, according to SA Local Government Association CEO Sithole Mbanga.

This has left them with vastly different capacities operating under the same policies and support structures, creating a critical gap in the process of building the new local government system, he said.

He was referring to the Local Government Transformation Programme, which was stablished following the adoption of the White Paper on Local government in 1998.

Speaking on the Inside Metros podcast, Mbanga said the review of the White Paper offered an opportunity to address structural weaknesses that had left many municipalities struggling to fulfil their responsibilities.

These include inadequate funding, skills shortages, poor accountability and a failure to properly recognise the different circumstances facing municipalities.

“There’s an opportunity for us to look at local government differently. I think most people do not understand that municipalities are not the same,” he said.

Mbanga believes that applying the same policies, legislation and support mechanisms to municipalities with vastly different capabilities has contributed to the difficulties they experience.

This is especially true for municipalities inherited from the former Transkei, Venda, Bophuthatswana and Ciskei (Bantustan) administrations. They were amalgamated into the democratic local government system without necessarily having the skills and capacity required to fulfil their responsibilities.

Mbanage said the current funding model remained a major obstacle because municipalities were responsible for delivering a substantial proportion of public services while receiving a comparatively small share of national revenue.

Salga wants municipalities to receive at least 18.5% of national revenue, instead of the current 10%.

“Unfortunately, this is far from what we require as local government. This is far,” Mbanga said.

Municipalities are responsible for around 42% of public services, but they historically receive about 8% of the national fiscal allocation.

Mbanga said municipalities also played a central role in economic development, with urban centres contributing around 80% of the country’s gross domestic product.

He challenged political leaders to reconsider the allocation of resources between the three spheres of government, arguing that municipalities needed sufficient funding to provide electricity, water, roads and land for businesses to operate.

Salga has identified five priority areas in its approach to reforming the sector: financing, professionalisation, economic development, climate change and spatial transformation.

Mbanga also highlighted accountability, particularly following deteriorating municipal audit outcomes, arguing that municipal managers and political leadership needed to work together more effectively.

He said Salga was strengthening its relationship with municipal managers. It recognised that professional administrators need to be involved in the organisation’s work.

“We can’t be asking for more money and on the other side, we are not accounting for those money,” he said.

The timing of the White Paper review is important because the consequences of South Africa’s broader economic and governance failures are increasingly being felt in municipalities.

This is further aggravated by coalition governments, frequent changes in municipal leadership and tensions between political office bearers and administrators.

The review will need to clarify what municipalities are expected to deliver, where national and provincial government must step in and how each sphere will be held accountable when it fails to fulfil its responsibilities.

Catch the full interview with Mbanga as he unpacks the urgent need for local government reform, sustainable funding model and priorities for strengthening municipalities.

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Suspended Department of Transport Director of Research and Content Development Esethu Hasane has published a book detailing the events leading to his precautionary suspension after he raised concerns about alleged irregular and fruitless expenditure of more than R15 million on livestreaming services.

In his book, Protected Disclosure: The Cost of Refusing to Sign 15+ Million Irregular and Fruitless Expenditure, Hasane recounts how, in July 2023, days after taking up his position, he refused to sign a requisition for a livestreaming contract involving three service providers and agreements totalling R15 million, which he alleges were rotated among the companies without competitive bidding.

“A single stream was costing the department between R250 000 and R300 000. Section 45(c) of the Public Finance Management Act made that refusal my duty,” Hasane writes.

He said he received a notice of precautionary suspension on September 8, 2026, which took effect the

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The Department of Correctional Services wants to position the Nelson Mandela Rules Academy as an international centre of excellence for correctional training and the promotion of international standards, with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale said on Monday that the department valued its continued partnership with and technical support from the UNODC, which contributed to the establishment of the Academy earlier this year.

“Typical of Africans, it is in our bloodstream to push for one step forward,” Thobakgale said.

“The vision was to say we need to go beyond the Nelson Mandela Rules by giving them practical expression by establishing an actual academy.”

He described the Academy as “a physical home where minds could meet, knowledge could be exchanged and experiences could be shared, both physically and virtually”.

Thobakgale said the department envisioned

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Political parties in KwaZulu-Natal have started preparing for coalition negotiations to form governments in 34 hung municipalities following last week’s local government elections.

The last time KZN had such a high number of hung municipalities was in 2011, when the late Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi broke away from the IFP to form the National Freedom Party (NFP), splitting voter loyalties across the province.

Announcing the provincial results on Sunday, Dr Khulekani Zulu, the operations manager for the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), said only 10 municipalities had outright winners.

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa: The real work begins now for newly elected councillors

Among them were uMngeni, which was won by the DA; Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma (Ixopo), which was won by the MK Party; and Ulundi, which was won by the IFP.

Among the hung municipalities are eThekwini, Msunduzi, uMhlathuze and Newcastle, where the MK Party emerged as the largest political party but failed to secure enough votes to govern on its own.

Speaking to Inside Politics at the results operations centre, the DA’s leader in KwaZulu-Natal, Sithembiso Ngema, said that while the party had an idea of who it would like to work with, it would await a directive from its national leadership.

“I don’t think between us and ActionSA there is sour blood, but what we have done as a political party and as the leadership of KZN, we have prepared a discussion for all political parties who are willing to engage us,” Ngema said.

He said that the party would focus on negotiating with “like-minded political parties” and made it clear that it would not enter into a coalition with former President Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.

“The negotiations are handled at national level; ours is to put together a proposal and send it and say this is what we think can work for KwaZulu-Natal and then the Federal Committee will give us the go-ahead,” he added.

IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said his party, which emerged as the largest in several municipalities in northern KwaZulu-Natal but fell short of outright majorities, would meet on Monday to chart the way forward on coalition negotiations.

“The NEC will meet today to discuss the 2026 Local Government Elections, the results and coalitions. The negotiations team will be constituted today,” Hlengwa said.

ALSO READ: OPINION | Stable metros, access to global skills and new trade deals will unlock investment

ActionSA’s leader in KwaZulu-Natal, Zwakele Mncwango, said he was open to joining forces with the DA-ANC-IFP alliance in eThekwini and uMhlathuze (Richards Bay/Empangeni area), but any agreement would be subject to conditions.

“I have no issues with working with anyone, if the DA can work with us we can work with them, but the only problem is the condition we have is whether the DA is prepared to agree on three conditions that we laid for the elections.

“That is delivering services to all communities, we know the DA is very selective, they want to service a particular community. Secondly, it is the issue of corruption, cutting corruption out and I think we can agree on that one. The issue of illegal immigration, I am not sure whether they are prepared to work with us [on that],” he said.

The ANC’s negotiating team will be led by its secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, while the EFF’s team will be led by its secretary-general, Marshall Dlamini.

Meanwhile, although the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) lost support at the polls, the party could emerge as a kingmaker in Mandeni, where it secured a single seat.

The South African Communist Party (SACP), which contested the elections independently, could also play a kingmaker role with its two seats in the uMzimkhulu Local Municipality in southern KwaZulu-Natal, where it may have to choose between its alliance partner, the ANC, and the MK Party.

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Last night, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced the results of the 2026 local government elections. All South Africans should be proud that this election, a crucial pillar of our democratic constitutional order, was free, fair and peaceful. 
 
Last Wednesday, more than 15 million South Africans cast their ballots across the country. Some were seasoned voters who have not missed an election since 1994, while others were young people marking a ballot for the first time.

They came from cities, towns and villages, from every community and walk of life. Whatever their differences, they shared the belief that their participation matters.

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa warns against taking services ‘hostage’ as 127 hung councils await coalitions

We congratulate the IEC for exercising its mandate with the utmost professionalism and care. We are also grateful to the police, the defence force and other government officials for ensuring that voting proceeded smoothly and securely. We commend all the parties and candidates who campaigned responsibly.
 
The improved voter turnout and the large number of parties and candidates show that our democracy is active and vibrant. With more than 540 parties and close to 137,000 candidates standing, voters had a greater choice than at any time since 1994. Our democracy continues to evolve and to open new avenues for civic participation.
 
This year, we mark three decades since our Constitution was signed into law, establishing South Africa as a multi-party democracy in which every adult has an equal vote and those in power must regularly return to the people for a fresh mandate. At a time when democracy is being tested in a number of countries, last week’s poll shows that these foundations remain sound.
 
In democracies across the world, we are seeing political choices being shaped by the ‘bread-and-butter’ issues that matter most to voters.

South African voters are no different. They want work and economic opportunity. They want reliable and affordable supplies of water and electricity, well-maintained public spaces and neighbourhoods where they feel safe. They want municipalities that are well run and local finances that are soundly managed.
 
Through this election, the South African people are demanding that those entrusted with public service fulfil their responsibilities. Those who have been elected to councils now need to prove themselves worthy of the trust placed in them by the South African people.
 
Work must now begin in earnest. As they attend to the immediate needs of residents, the incoming councillors will have an important role in reshaping the system of local government, guided by the recommendations of the revised White Paper on Local Government.

The White Paper sets out measures to put municipal finances on a sounder footing, to direct more money to maintaining infrastructure and to ensure that services reach residents reliably. 

ALSO READ: New municipal councils face pressure to tackle governance failures and service delivery
 
Winning the confidence of the electorate at the ballot box must never be taken for granted. Political parties must cooperate in good faith to reach agreement on the election of office-bearers so that councils can be constituted and they can get to work. In the interests of effective, accountable local government, those who have been elected must work to find common ground from the very outset, regardless of their political differences. 
 
We need to make local government an engine room of service delivery, a driver of development and a creator of opportunity. This calls for councillors who put the needs of communities ahead of any other interests, who listen and respond to residents and who carry out their duties with humility. 
 
It is up to all of us to ensure that democracy delivers for every South African and that local government works better for all.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on political parties to put communities ahead of political power struggles as South Africa faces a new wave of coalition negotiations following the 2026 Local Government Elections, which left 127 municipal councils without outright majorities.

Addressing the announcement of the final election results at the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) Results Operations Centre in Midrand on Sunday, Ramaphosa said that negotiations over municipal governments must not become contests over positions, privileges or the distribution of power.

“They must be guided by what will best serve the people,” he said.

The president’s remarks come after the African National Congress (ANC) suffered a significant electoral setback, securing 30.89% of the national vote, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) received 24.60% and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) emerged as the third-largest party with 9.61%.

READ| ANC slumps to historic low of 30.76% as MK Party surges, hung councils soar

With only 72 of the country’s 213 municipal councils having outright majorities, political parties will have to negotiate governing arrangements in most municipalities.

Ramaphosa said the election results reflected the choices made by voters and called on parties to approach coalition negotiations with maturity, humility and a commitment to the public good.

“This is not a weakness of democracy. It is an expression of the choices that the people have made,” he said.

He warned that political disagreements should not undermine municipal stability or interrupt essential services.

“The stability of our municipalities cannot be sacrificed to narrow political interests. The delivery of essential services cannot be held hostage by political disagreements,” Ramaphosa said.

He said residents had not voted for their representatives to spend the next five years fighting among themselves but expected functioning councils, capable administrations and responsible leadership.

The president also urged political parties to ensure that municipal councils were constituted without delay and that negotiations resulted in the election of office-bearers so that municipalities could begin their work.

“Councils must be constituted without delay. Parties must negotiate in good faith to elect office-bearers so that councils can get to work. Budgets must be passed on time,” he said.

Ramaphosa said the incoming councillors would be responsible for addressing the everyday challenges facing communities, including unreliable water and electricity supply, poor roads, unemployment and inadequate municipal services.

He said people judged government by the changes they experienced in their daily lives rather than the promises made by political leaders.

“They want water to come out of the tap and electricity that works. They want their refuse collected, their parks maintained and their streets safe,” he said.

READ| How new municipal councils will be formed – and the deadlines they must meet

The president also reminded newly elected councillors that winning a seat was not simply about occupying a position in a council chamber but about serving the communities that elected them.

He said public representatives had to put residents’ interests above personal ambition and political advantage.

“Your responsibility is to listen to their concerns, respond to their needs and act to address the concerns with honesty and integrity,” he said.

Ramaphosa’s address comes as the country marks 30 years since the Constitution was signed into law, with the president saying the election had once again demonstrated that the authority to govern rested with the people.

He said the authority to govern was not inherited, owned by a political party or the permanent possession of those holding public office.

“It is entrusted by the people to those whom they elect, and it must always be exercised in their interests,” he said.

He also acknowledged the difficult circumstances under which South Africans cast their ballots, including the high cost of living, unemployment, safety concerns and poor municipal services.

The president said these challenges had shaped voters’ political choices and placed an enormous responsibility on those elected to public office.

He further pointed to the revised White Paper on Local Government as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s municipalities, improve their finances and direct resources towards infrastructure maintenance and reliable service delivery.

Ramaphosa congratulated the newly elected councillors but said their work would be measured by whether they delivered on the expectations of residents.

“The election is now over. The work of serving the people must begin,” he said.

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