The IEC says candidate lists are moving ahead despite the ANC's failed court challenge and planned appeal.
Elections 2026
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu says the party plans to appeal an Electoral Court ruling that bars 181 candidates from contesting November’s municipal elections. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen
The ANC is taking desperate, last-ditch action to legally challenge an Electoral Court ruling which bars 181 of its candidates from standing in six municipal elections in November.
Win or lose, though, the party has already been dealt a lasting blow, says a political analyst.
Court ruling leaves ANC under pressure
Political analyst André Duvenhage earlier said the court’s ruling could have a lasting impact in the legacy of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and the party’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
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View Map“You can also see this point from the perspective of poor administration and a lack of consensus among the candidates,” he said.
“If the current lists of the ANC are be revealed, you would see a lot of internal conflict before the elections.”
Asked whether the ANC’s predicament was possibly a result of friendly fire, Duvenhage said there was high possibility of sabotage within the party.
“I have no doubt that there are forces within the ANC and outside the ANC who would like to see the current system of the ANC fail,” he said.
“I believe there is an ongoing project to get rid of the Ramaphosa grouping within the ANC and reunite it with other groupings, like the EFF and uMkhonto weSizwe party, as a strategy towards 2029.”
IEC moves ahead with election preparations
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said yesterday it had plans to move forward with the publication of 136 790 candidates who will contest the elections on 4 November.
The IEC will print ballot papers shortly thereafter.
This election cycle offers 10 526 seats across various municipalities, up from 10 478 in 2021.
Given this tight timeline, the ANC faces an uphill battle in resolving its legal issues before candidates are completely left out.
After the paper draw ceremony on Wednesday, 23 September, the IEC will begin preparing to print the ballot papers once it issues the final candidate list.
As it stands, 181 ANC candidates are at risk of exclusion, their fates resting in the hands of the judicial process after the party lost its case in the Electoral Court yesterday but has vowed to appeal.
The IEC’s announcement suggests the ANC will be unable to resubmit its candidate list to the electoral authority, though the party still has other legal avenues to pursue.
ANC blames technical glitches for missed deadline
This is the first time since the democratic elections in 1994 and the local elections in 1995 that the ANC has failed to complete its administrative task of submitting candidate lists, or has missed the set deadline.
It failed to submit 181 candidates through the IEC online system by the 28 August deadline.
Mbalula, the party’s secretary-general and administrative leader, has been blamed for the oversight.
The IEC’s announcement followed the dismissal of the ANC’s appeal by the Electoral Court.
The ANC cited technical glitches as the reason for its incomplete submission, but the IEC rejected this claim, saying its system was functioning properly.
According to ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu, the party plans to appeal the Electoral Court’s decision.
“After reviewing the judgment, the ANC will exercise its legal rights and pursue the appropriate appeal process,” she said.
Bhengu emphasised the party respects the courts and is not seeking preferential treatment from the IEC, or asking for rule changes to benefit the ANC.
Record number of candidates to contest municipal polls
During a media briefing, the IEC welcomed the Electoral Court ruling, saying it was satisfied “the court has spoken” on the matter.
IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the final list of candidates to be published comprises 136 790 individuals who have met the necessary statutory requirements to contest in the municipal polls.
This year’s count is unprecedented, significantly exceeding the 95 427 candidates who participated in the 2021 elections.
In November, candidates across all eight metropolitan municipalities will vie for seats, with 43 098 contesting.
The 44 district municipalities will have 6 443 candidates, while 205 local municipalities will see 87 249 candidates vying for election.
Of the 136 790 candidates, 98 219 are nominated by parties to represent them in wards, while 38 571 are proportional representation candidates.
Additionally, 621 independents are contesting ward seats.
Among the metros, Joburg has the highest number of parties contesting in November with 75, followed by Tshwane with 70, eThekwini with 69, Ekurhuleni with 67 and Cape Town with 55.
