South Africa: ANC Loses Ground, Coalition Talks Take Centre Stage [Africanews Today]

South Africa's ANC suffers a historic setback in local elections, securing just 31% of the vote, its lowest share in 32 years in power. A train collision in Egypt killed at least seven people and injured dozens. And in Nairobi, young female entrepreneurs are giving old synthetic wigs a new lease of life. Welcome to Africa News Today. As mentioned in our headlines, Nelson Mandela's party is losing ground, although it remains the country's largest political force. In the latest local elections, the African National Congress suffered a significant setback, winning just 31% of the vote. What explains this decline? We take a closer look in this report. President Cyril Ramaphosa said his African National Congress accepts the outcome of the local government elections with humility. Following a result that saw the party secure just over 30 percent of the vote. People want to live. And to see their lives go forward. They want jobs. And they want opportunities. They want water to come from the taps and the electricity that works. They want their refuse collected, their parks maintained and their streets safe. In pursuit of this, They have made their political choices during this election. The ANC lost control of several key municipalities and city councils despite remaining the largest party nationally. Its coalition partner DA was a close second. Through these elections our people have made their political choices And we will hold those that we lent it to account. The ANC's popularity has declined for more than a decade. In 2024, it lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in a national election, which brought about a coalition national government. We return now to the deadly train collision in Egypt. A train traveling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the rear of another train heading towards Aswan in the south of the country. At least seven people were killed, while dozens more were injured. Outside Al-Wasita Central Hospital in Beni Suef Province, where some of the injured were taken for treatment, survivors spoke of their shock after the collision. They said they struggled to breathe as a cloud of dust engulfed carriages before being rescued by villagers who rushed to the scene. What? When the train overturned, we were in shock and couldn't even comprehend what had happened to us. We couldn't breathe because of the dust. The seats had collapsed on top of us and people pulled us out from underneath them and helped us get out of the train. The health ministry said over 70 injured have been discharged after receiving treatment. There were people who had died, others were trying to get out of the train. There were other carriages that were completely mangled. At least seven people were killed in the crash which occurred in Alayat district in Giza About 52 kilometers south of Cairo. His name is Talib Ahmed Bensouda. Popular Gambian mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda faces financial misconduct allegations that could prevent him from running in the December 5th presidential election. His United party claims a plot. By the authorities, his Unite party cries out a conspiracy. Supporters of Gambia's Talib Ahmed Ben Souda celebrated on Friday as he filed candidacy papers for next month's presidential election. The move comes despite a government report last week accusing the popular former mayor of financial improprieties and abuse of office. We stand in vindication because all the youth of the Gambia have decided that Talib is a young person and he is capable and he is eligible to be our leader. Ben Suda has rejected the allegations as a last-minute political maneuver intended to confuse the public ahead of nominations. He has discipline and advocates for term limits. There's no security in the country. The situation is so bad that we the women are sometimes afraid to go out at night. The cost of living is also very high, so I want President Barrow gone. Oh, no! During his eight years as mayor of Kanifing municipality, Bensouda gained a loyal following by implementing regular waste collection. His political star has continued to rise as the tiny West African nation faces prolonged blackouts. The electricity cuts have led to numerous protests and calls for President Adama Barrow to step down. The presidential election is scheduled for December 5th, when Barrow will be running for a third term. Synthetic wigs, weaves, and hair extensions are difficult to break down and can harm the environment if improperly disposed of. ... to the environment in the face of this problem, a Kenyan company... Queening Africa is tackling the problem by turning them into handmade products. It's artisanal. This tangled mass of hair extensions could have ended up in a dump site. Discarded hair is mixed with other rubbish and swept into heaps or left in places where rainwater can carry it into drainage channels. But beauty business Queening Africa is giving used hair new life. Most of the things that happens to the synthetic hair as it has been used it is like mostly dumped. The all women team sorts the hair by colour and texture, separates material that can be reused and washes it before preparing the strands for crafting. There's a never-ending supply of the hair for the women to work with, but not all of it makes the grade. The finished products are stylish bags that no one would guess began life, threaded onto someone's scalp. Besides helping reduce pollution, the women work together as a group. Experienced members pass on their knowledge to younger workers. What convinces me that an initiative like this is delivering economic value is the number of young people earning from it. Right now we have around 10 young women that are earning from Queening Africa. These are people who are able to sustain themselves from a day-to-day operation, even earning food, paying their rent, taking their children to school, from such a business. So that is clear evidence that such organizations and such initiatives are economically sustainable. For women working with Queening Africa, transforming discarded synthetic hair into handmade products offers a way to earn an income while putting their skills to use. Every week on Africa News Today, we bring you a selection of important dates and events to watch. Here's what's coming up. November 9th to 20th, Turkey hosts the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference. Key issues include the transition away from fossil fuels, climate financing, and protecting vulnerable countries. November 15th, voters in Cape Verde head to the polls to elect their president. Following peaceful parliamentary elections on May 17, which saw the opposition emerge victorious. Benin hosts the Sika Festival from 10th to 15th November, celebrating 25 years of African musical heritage. November 12 to 17, the third and fourth rounds of qualifying matches for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations take place, with crucial points at stake. And that's where we end this edition of Africa News today. From the entire news team, thank you for watching Africa News. See you again soon.