Gauteng

The African National Congress secured 30.76 % of the vote, its lowest share ever, while the Democratic Alliance received roughly 25 % (claim 1). The ANC lost its majority in several major municipalities, triggering coalition negotiations (claim 2). ANC secretary‑general Fikile Mbalula described the result as catastrophic and urged the party to improve service delivery (claim 3).

Polling stations opened at 07:00 and closed at 21:00 on Wednesday, marking the start of the municipal elections across the country. More than 29 million voters are registered to choose leaders for eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local councils. About 136 790 candidates are contesting 10 526 council seats, while the Electoral Commission has deployed roughly 188 000 officials nationwide. A public holiday was declared for the day, and water supply problems persist in several Johannesburg neighborhoods.

Data centre electricity demand is projected to more than double by 2030 compared with 2024 levels. At the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition, OpenAI chief Sam Altman warned that power supply is the biggest bottleneck for further AI progress. He also said AI now performs many white‑collar tasks and must remain under human control. Xbox strategy manager Brandon Stirrup confirmed that AI is integral to game development and announced the creation of Xbox Labs after deactivating his social media account. Meanwhile, Tagesschau notes AI has become a routine tool for businesses and individuals.