For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines: ANC on track for big drop in voter support in municipal vote; Hill-Lewis expresses ‘deep hope’ after election surge; And, Nersa registered 144 generation facilities in the September quarter

ANC on track for big drop in voter support in municipal vote

The ANC is on track for a big drop in voter support in municipal elections, results from more than two-thirds of the votes counted showed today.

The results so far suggest coalition talks will decide control of major cities such as Johannesburg, extending the decline of the previously dominant party, which had to form a coalition to govern nationally after the 2024 election.

The ANC was under 32% of the vote, compared to 24% for its nearest rival, the DA, results from 84% of votes counted showed.

If those figures hold the ANC would be down about 14 percentage points from its last municipal election result in 2021, which was already its worst in history.

Hill-Lewis expresses ‘deep hope’ after election surge

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis declared that the party will emerge as the largest political force in major metropolitan areas, such as Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, and Nelson Mandela Bay; as he turned his sights on the need to build stable coalitions.

Reflecting on the incoming election results, Hill-Lewis stated that citizens have granted the DA a “historic opportunity” to turn the country's towns and cities around.

As the final ballots are counted, Hill-Lewis expressed satisfaction with the electoral trends, describing a stronger DA that is now "deeply embedded in every single community in the country."

The party secured victories spanning major urban metros to deep rural areas, including Mount Ayliff, Fort Beaufort, Emfuleni, and uMngeni. Notably, the DA is projected to gain 104 new wards and approximately 233 new councillors nationwide.

And, Nersa registered 144 generation facilities in the September quarter

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa registered 144 generation facilities, with a total capacity of 3 129 MW and an estimated investment value of R78.16-billion, during the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year – from July 1 to September 30.

Nersa said it has demonstrated improved efficiency in processing registration applications for generation facilities.

The regulator said it processed 144 applications in an average of just nine working days, marking a notable improvement compared with the same quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, when 181 applications were handled in an average of ten working days.

Nersa said this progress underscores its ongoing commitment to streamlining the evaluation and registration process for new generation facilities.

The regulator said solar PV technology was the top choice for electricity generation in the second quarter, driven by South Africa’s abundant sunshine that benefits both small- and large-scale energy projects.

Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal led in the number of new facility registrations.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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