What IOL Is and Why Its ANC Election Story Is Trending

IOL is a South African news website, and a recent report about ANC voter support has brought it into searches.

Home & LifeOctober 6, 20263 min readHow Sureno writes this

The short version

IOL, or Independent Online, is a South African news website that carries digital editions of several newspapers. ³
An IOL report published on October 5 covered ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s comments that his party should not presume voters will back it. ¹
Mbalula attributed damaged relationships with some communities to corruption and poor leadership, and said the ANC needed to restore trust. ¹
The report presents a political leader’s view before local government elections; it is not an election result or a forecast. ¹

What is IOL news?

IOL is the commonly used name for Independent Online, a news website based in South Africa. Its site includes digital versions of newspapers such as The Star, Cape Times, Cape Argus and The Mercury. ³

So a search for “IOL news” might mean someone wants to visit the site or find a particular article. The recent attention here concerns IOL’s coverage of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and what he said about voter support. ¹

Why are people searching for IOL now?

On October 5, 2026, IOL published an article about Mbalula’s remarks concerning the African National Congress (ANC) and the 2026 local government elections. ¹ He said the party should not assume that voters will continue supporting it without question. ¹

That makes the story relevant to readers following South African politics, local services and the ANC’s effort to regain public confidence. The supplied report describes the comments; it does not show how voters will respond.

What did Mbalula say about the ANC?

IOL reports that Mbalula spoke at a church in the Eastern Cape. He acknowledged that the party had lost some public confidence and identified corruption and poor leadership as problems that had harmed relations with communities. ¹

He argued that the ANC’s efforts to renew itself should be visible in the behaviour of its members and councillors. ¹ This is his description of the challenge and the party’s intended response. The article does not establish whether conditions have changed in any specific place.

What do the voting figures in the article show?

The report gives the ANC’s portion of the national municipal vote as 53.9% in 2016 and 45.59% in 2021. ¹ These figures compare the party’s share of votes in those elections. They are not a measure of all eligible voters, and they do not determine what will happen in 2026.

The article also says Mbalula cited a figure of 15% for municipalities receiving clean audits in 2024/2025. ¹ A clean audit is an assessment of an organisation’s financial records and related processes. The figure is part of his argument about governance; it does not explain on its own why people voted as they did.

What does this mean for an ordinary reader?

The story tells readers how a senior ANC figure describes the party’s relationship with voters and which problems he says need attention. It may help people understand the issues the party is addressing publicly, including corruption, leadership and trust. ¹

It does not show that the ANC has solved those problems, nor does it say which party will win the next local elections. To assess progress, readers would need information about actions taken and conditions in their own municipalities, neither of which is covered in detail by the supplied report.

What we don't know yet

What specific measures the ANC will take to address the concerns Mbalula raised.
Whether and how voters’ views of the ANC will shift before the 2026 local government elections.
How the issues described in the report differ between municipalities and communities.

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Questions people ask

What does IOL stand for?

IOL is short for Independent Online, a South African news website. It carries digital editions of several newspapers. ³

Why is IOL reporting on Fikile Mbalula?

IOL covered Mbalula’s remarks about the ANC’s relationship with voters as the country approaches the 2026 local government elections. He said the party should not assume it has voters’ support. ¹

What did Mbalula say about ANC support?

He said the ANC had lost some trust and pointed to corruption and weak leadership as factors that had damaged its ties with communities. He said the party had taken the voters’ message seriously. ¹

Did the ANC’s share of the municipal vote fall?

The IOL article reports that the ANC received 53.9% of the national municipal vote in 2016 and 45.59% in 2021. Those past figures are not a forecast of the 2026 result. ¹

Does the report predict the next local election result?

No. It reports Mbalula’s comments and refers to earlier voting figures, but gives no prediction for the 2026 local government elections. ¹

Sources

ANC can no longer expect an automatic mandate from voters, says Mbalula — IOL, 1791-06-20
Independent Online — Wikipedia