It’s a week of high-stakes deadlines and mounting pressure, with the ANC heading to court over the disqualification of candidates and parliament racing to conclude its Mkhwanazi report. Here’s what else to look out for in the days to come.
Politics
ANC to approach Electoral Court over candidate disqualifications
The ANC plans to challenge the decision of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to disqualify almost 200 of its candidates from registering for the November local government election. The party failed to submit its full list of candidates by the August 28 deadline.
The ANC’s appeal is expected to fail, and fingers are already being pointed at the party’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula. Members of the party’s national executive committee have asked for action to be taken against Mbalula, whose political ambitions for ANC leadership have been dealt a major blow.
IEC deadline to clarify ANC’s fate
The ANC is also pinning some of its hopes on the possibility of substituting candidates on its lists. The IEC’s deadline for parties and candidates to make substitutions is Friday, and the commission will make the final candidate lists available next Friday (September 17). The party may still be able to swap out names on its proportional representation lists, but it may not be able to add ward candidates where none are currently registered.
Ad hoc committee races to Friday deadline
Parliament’s ad hoc committee to investigate allegations made by Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has until Friday to submit its report to the National Assembly. The committee has been in the news recently for infighting between MPs, with members from the MK Party accusing the Patriotic Alliance of shielding former deputy head of crime intelligence Feroz Khan.
Ramaphosa to attend Brics summit
President Cyril Ramaphosa departs for India on Thursday to attend the 18th Brics summit in New Delhi. The summit will be held from Saturday to Sunday and is preceded by the Brics business forum on Friday. Brics member and partner countries will discuss cross-border payments, supply-chain resilience, trade and AI. There will also be a focus on geopolitical tensions and energy security.
Economics
GDP (Q2 2026)
Stats SA will release the latest economic output figures on Tuesday morning. Analysts do not expect growth in the second quarter to match the 0.5% quarter-on-quarter growth of the first, and some expect a contraction based on softer mining and manufacturing numbers.
Mining production (July 2026)
Stats SA will release the mining numbers for July on Thursday morning, with the sector under huge pressure. Year-on-year mining production declined sharply in May and June, due largely to the 20% increase in the price of diesel resulting from the US-Israeli attack on Iran. Sharp increases in commodity prices have shielded the sector, with platinum prices in June 40% higher than a year before, coal up 29% and the price of gold up by 26%.
Manufacturing production (July 2026)
Stats SA will release the latest manufacturing figures on Thursday afternoon. All indications are for a further contraction in year-on-year output, similar in size to June’s -1.7%. July’s purchasing managers’ index reading was lower than June’s, and expensive diesel continues to drive up input costs.
This article is published courtesy of The South Africa Brief, a political newsletter published on Substack which is a collaboration between Paul Berkowitz and Jonathan Moakes.