Noember 02, 2026.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is Polity's daily podcast.

Making headlines:

SAHRC releases inquiry report into Gauteng’s state of water

Ramaphosa says SAPS ready ahead of ‘biggest’ local election as he urges voting for progress

And, Uganda says it has started withdrawing troops from Somalia

The South African Human Rights Commission’s Gauteng Provincial Office has released its Inquiry Report into the State of Water and Sanitation Service Delivery in Gauteng, outlining its findings into the province’s water challenges.

The commission held the investigative inquiry from May 19 to 21 to probe the sustained and deepening water crisis characterised by persistent shortages, intermittent supply, infrastructure failures, ageing and poorly maintained systems, contamination risks, governance failures and inadequate emergency response mechanisms.

This followed persistent and recurring complaints concerning water and sanitation service delivery across Gauteng.

The inquiry found that Gauteng currently has sufficient water resources available to meet demand, and that its water supply challenges relate to interconnected failures across the water-services value chain

To remedy the situation, the SAHRC made eight overarching recommendations, supported by specific implementation measures, institutional responsibilities and reporting timeframes, involving 19 state and sector institutions, including all nine Gauteng water services authorities.

As South Africans prepare to head to the polls on Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa is calling for a peaceful vote “for progress and development”.

Amid fears of election violence, Ramaphosa revealed that the South African Police Service has undertaken risk assessments and simulation exercises over the last few months in preparation for what he says is a bold reset of the local government system.

This is one of the biggest electoral contests in our country’s democratic history, with 546 parties and nearly 137 000 candidates, he said.

He warned against power struggles among councillors and municipal officials, noting that these have led to violence, killings and council meeting disruptions.

The President stressed the importance of registered voters exercising their democratic right by electing the “right’ people for the job, noting that local government directly affects citizens.

Uganda has begun withdrawing its troops from Somalia as part of a phased drawdown that will end an almost two-decade deployment helping Mogadishu fight the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgency.

Uganda has about 4 500 troops deployed in Somalia under the African Union-mandated AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, according to state media, though it is unclear how many additional forces are deployed under a separate bilateral arrangement.

The first troops to leave are those deployed under the bilateral arrangement, Uganda People's Defence Forces spokesperson Chris Magezi said.

UPDF has embarked on the drawdown of troops deployed in Somalia under bilateral arrangements with Somalia's Federal Government, effective immediately, he stated.  

The first cohort has already returned home.

Uganda will gradually withdraw all its forces from Somalia, including those serving under AUSSOM, by the end of 2027, he said.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on the X platform, at the handle @PolityZA