South Africa Sets 4 November 2026 for Local Government Elections as IEC Reports Mixed By-Election Results

South Africa’s seventh democratic Local Government Elections (LGE) will be held on 4 November 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed on Thursday during the extended President’s Coordinating Council meeting at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.

Ramaphosa said the election date aligns with the constitutional requirement that local polls be held within 90 days of the expiry of municipal council terms, which end on 2 November 2026. He noted that he traditionally prefers mid-week voting, leading to the selection of aREAD MORE

A South African social media commentator, researcher, and geopolitics analyst, popularly known as [Evaluator @_AfricanSoil], has formally escalated allegations of serious human rights violations against the South African Office of the Presidency, multiple state institutions, and media houses. The matter has been reported to both domestic and international authorities in pursuit of justice.

African Times has seen the letter.

According to a detailed complaint submitted to oversight bodies, the geopolitics commentator alleges they were subjected to unlawful targeting, surveillance, andREAD MORE

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has urged efforts to enhance the capacity to prevent and respond to natural disasters and effectively safeguard people’s lives and property.

Xi made the remarks while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Tuesday.

The importance of disaster prevention, mitigation and relief work must be fully understood from a strategic perspective of ensuringREAD MORE

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has confirmed that the long-delayed racketeering trial involving a co-accused linked to self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri is set to commence on 04 May 2026 in the Pretoria High Court.

On Thursday, the NPA welcomed a judgment handed down by the Pretoria High Court on 02 April 2026, which dismissed an application brought by accused Willah Joseph Mudolo and others. The court found no merit in their attempt to block racketeering charges and rejected what itREAD MORE

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for urgent, coordinated action to fix failing municipalities and address South Africa’s deepening water crisis, warning that poor service delivery continues to place an increasing burden on citizens.

Delivering the opening address at the Extended President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) meeting at Birchwood Hotel on Thursday, Ramaphosa described the gathering as a “historic get-together” that, for the first time, included all mayors and municipal managers alongside national and provincial leaders.

He said theREAD MORE

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has resolved to back Italian-Swiss national Gianni Infantino for another term as FIFA President.

Infantino, 56, is seeking a third full term as the leader of the world football governing body.

“CAF held a meeting today, Wednesday 29 April 2026, in Vancouver, Canada on the eve of the 76th FIFA Congress and the CAF Member Associations unanimously agreed to support Gianni Infantino to be re-elected as President of FIFA for the period 2027-2031,” saidREAD MORE

The legal representatives of Julius Malema have issued a formal demand to media personality Ngizwe Mchunu, accusing him of making defamatory statements during a widely circulated interview on 28 April 2026.

According to the letter from England Slabbert Attorneys Inc., acting on behalf of Malema, the comments were made during an interview with “King Zoso” outside the Union Buildings and later spread across platforms, including X and TikTok.

In the interview, Mchunu allegedly claimed that Malema had received R60 millionREAD MORE

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) — “I have many hobbies. I love reading most,” Chinese President Xi Jinping once said.

For Xi, reading is more than a personal hobby — it is a way of life.

As China’s top leader, Xi often draws on books that have long enriched his intellectual world, using them as a diplomatic bridge to connect China with the wider world and promote cross-cultural exchanges and mutual learning among diverse civilisations.

AN AVID READER

Since childhood, booksREAD MORE

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) — Across the deserts in northwest China, where the sun blazes, and the winds never relent, those forces that people once had to endure are now powering a new source of wealth.

“We used to hide from them,” said Qi Pengxiao, now in his 80s. He arrived in the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai Province as an oil worker in 1957, when the resources beneath the ground were the only treasures that mattered. “Now they’ve become ourREAD MORE

New initiative aims to equip students with investment, savings and economic skills for the future

Egypt’s Ministry of Education signed a memorandum of understanding to introduce a financial literacy curriculum for secondary school students, reports Sada El-Balad, a partner of TV BRICS.

The initiative, formalised on 28 April 2026, is designed to integrate key financial concepts into the national education system, helping students better understand savings, investment and entrepreneurship. The agreementREAD MORE