ANC candidate list moemish a sign of a collapsing party, says analyst

An expert says the ANC’s failure to submit its full candidate lists to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on time is an indication of a collapsing party.

On Monday, the party confirmed that it had not submitted all the names of its candidates who will stand as councillors and proportional representatives because of system errors on the IEC’s side.

“On the day of lodgement, the Commission’s candidate-capture system experienced technical issues that affected a number of contesting parties.

“As a result, a small number of the movement’s entries are being finalised together with the Commission. This is a technical and administrative matter, and it is being handled through the Commission’s established processes.

“The ANC has full confidence in the Electoral Commission and in the integrity of the electoral process. We commend the Commission for its constructive engagement with all affected parties, and we are working with it to bring these outstanding matters to a close. We are confident they will be resolved,” said party spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu.

Political party demands fairness

There were concerns from some political parties that the IEC will give the former ruling party a second chance at submitting their complete lists, despite the August 28 deadline having passed.

“It’s unfortunate that the incompetence of some political parties led to this, and we will closely monitor to make sure that the IEC does not bend backwards to accommodate any political party because we all worked tirelessly and under tremendous pressure to submit candidates for all the Wards,” said Mayibuye Afrika founder, Floyd Shivambu on Tuesday.

The IEC responded to the concerns, clarifying that it will not extend the deadline for the ANC.

“All matters pertaining to the intricacies of the candidate nomination process would be discussed in the National Political Liaison Committee constituted by all parties that are represented in the National Assembly,” the IEC added.

Disorder inside the ANC

Political analyst Andre Duvenhage said he is not surprised that the ANC has failed to meet the IEC’s deadline.

“This is an organisation in crisis. What we are looking at is the ANC in crisis. We have seen, in a number of surveys, their support is dropping, even in places like Joburg.”

Duvenhage said the party is worried about the submission of names in their strongholds, including the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and the North West.

“For them not to submit their list of candidates in some of their strongholds, to me, that should be punished in a severe way. This tells me that, from an organisational point of view, the ANC is not ready for the elections,” he said.

According to Duvenhage, internal conflicts in the ANC have become a norm each time candidate lists are being finalised.

Mayoral candidates

This is not the first glitch on the ANC’s side in the run-up to election day. The party took a decision not to announce its mayoral candidates several days ago because of fears of defection and internal squabbles. This saw the party announcing those who have been nominated as mayoral candidates for the different towns.

“This is another sign of disorganisation,” he said.

Duvenhage said the ANC is rapidly losing support at the grassroots and is trying to regain the trust of communities. He said one of the ways the party is doing this is renaming towns, cities and streets.

“They are playing symbolism again, a sign of an organisation in crisis,” he said.