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ANC records worst-ever local election result as coalition talks loom

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

South Africa’s ruling ANC recorded its worst-ever local election result, with about 30% of the vote, France 24 reports, as coalition talks loom. Al Jazeera English and Bloomberg also report the result, and say the party remains the country’s largest but has been losing support amid anger over corruption and poor service delivery. The vote chose councillors for the eight biggest cities and 249 district and local municipalities. ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula called the results “catastrophic”, and President Cyril Ramaphosa urged parties to approach coalition talks with humility. Bloomberg reports the ANC will consider whether to end its national coalition with its main rival, an argument emerging as a fault line in the race to succeed Ramaphosa.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The ANC recorded its worst-ever result in South African local elections.

    Reported byLeft2Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg
    Center
    France 24

  2. France 24 reports the ANC won about 30% of the vote.

    One outletFrance 24· Center

  3. The local elections chose councillors for the eight biggest cities and 249 district and local municipalities.

    One outletAl Jazeera English· Left

  4. Fikile Mbalula, the ANC secretary-general, called the results “catastrophic”.

    One outletAl Jazeera English· Left

  5. President Cyril Ramaphosa urged parties to approach coalition talks for local rule with humility.

    One outletAl Jazeera English· Left

  6. Bloomberg reports the ANC will consider whether to end its national coalition with its main rival.

    One outletBloomberg· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that the ANC posted its worst-ever local election result and that coalition talks are coming. The left outlets focus on what the result means for the party’s future and a possible end to its national coalition, while the center outlet leads with the setback and the talks.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Both left-side headlines centre the party’s future: Al Jazeera English asks what the “catastrophic” result means for the ANC, and Bloomberg leads with a review of the national coalition.

    South Africa’s ANC to Review Coalition Ties After Voting Setback
    BloombergLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    France 24 frames the result as a historic setback and pairs it with the start of coalition talks, without addressing the party’s longer-term prospects.

    South Africa’s ANC suffers a historic setback in local elections as coalition talks begin
    France 24CenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    locked in a downward spiral

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    locked in a downward spiralMore neutral: is losing support

    The phrase is a vivid prediction about the party’s future that the election figures alone do not establish.

    …the country’s largest party, Wednesday’s vote appeared to confirm it is locked in a downward spiral amid long-held anger over corruption scandals and poor service delivery.

    Used byAl Jazeera English (Left)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    catastrophicMore neutral: worst-ever

    The headline presents the word as a verdict on the results, and it is the ANC secretary-general’s description rather than the outlet’s own finding.

    What ‘catastrophic’ South Africa local election results mean for ANC

    Quoted byAl Jazeera English (Left)

    These are Fikile Mbalula’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • worst-ever result for the ANC
  • the party’s decline and future
  • possible end of national coalition
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Al Jazeera EnglishLeft

    What ‘Sensational language“catastrophic”The headline presents the word as a verdict on the results, and it is the ANC secretary-general’s description rather than the outlet’s own finding.More neutral: worst-everThese are Fikile Mbalula’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?’ South Africa local election results mean for ANC

    The country is transitioning away from the era of ANC electoral dominance towards a more fragmented political system.

    Read at Al Jazeera English (opens in a new tab)
  • BloombergLeft

    South Africa’s ANC to Review Coalition Ties After Voting Setback

    South Africa’s biggest political party will consider whether to end its national coalition with its main rival after suffering its worst electoral performance yet, an argument that’s emerging as a fault line in the race to succeed President Cyril Ramaphosa.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • historic setback
  • start of coalition talks
  • about 30% of the vote
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • France 24Center

    South Africa’s ANC suffers a historic setback in local elections as coalition talks begin

    South Africa’s ruling ANC suffers its worst-ever local election results, securing just 30% of the vote, as coalition talks loom. Meanwhile, former Ugandan military intelligence officer Herbert Matanda Mabonga accuses the army of secretly detaining and torturing opponents, …

    Read at France 24 (opens in a new tab)

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Bloomberg, Nov 9, 7:33 AM EST

  • Center

    9 hr 21 min later

    Its first report, Nov 9, 4:54 PM EST

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BloombergLeftNov 9, 7:33 AM EST
  2. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftNov 9, 9:14 AM EST
  3. France 24CenterNov 9, 4:54 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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