ANC branch members are demanding the party's PR list process at Joe Gqabi be stopped and reviewed for possible manipulation.
Elections 2026
The ANC is facing mounting disputes over Eastern Cape candidate lists as political parties rush to meet the IEC deadline for November’s local government elections. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Political parties and independent candidates have until 5pm today to submit their candidate nominations for the local government elections taking place in November.
Despite the looming deadline, disputes over the Eastern Cape ANC candidate list seem to be multiplying.
Joe Gqabi candidate list under scrutiny
ANC branch members are demanding the party’s PR list process at Joe Gqabi in Aliwal North be stopped and reviewed for possible manipulation.
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View MapStopping the process could mean Joe Gqabi and other regions miss today’s deadline set by the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC).
The IEC has announced today as the final deadline with no option for any list to be submitted afterwards.
A senior ANC party member and Joe Gqabi district municipality councillor has been excluded from the party list, causing an uproar from her branch.
The branch has petitioned the ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) and its provincial list committee (PLC) to halt list submissions to the IEC until the matter is rectified.
Allegations of list manipulation emerge
ANC Eastern Cape secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi and the PLC have been asked to intervene and probe alleged list rigging of the process by the party’s Joe Gqabi regional secretary Vikita Dontsa.
Dontsa is accused of manipulating the ANC PR candidates list and excluding archrival Aphiwe Skoti, a senior regional member, allegedly over a personal matter.
ANC Boyce Nondala branch member in the Joe Gqabi region Nkosikho Skoti, has petitioned Ngcukayitobi and the party provincial list committee to intervene on behalf of Aphiwe Skoti.
Nkosikho Skoti condemned what he called Aphiwe Skoti’s “arbitrary and factional exclusion” from the elections.
Nkosikho Skoti said the PEC and PLC must intervene to rectify “this clear breach of organisational rules”.
Women’s league welcomes Buffalo City mayoral candidates
Meanwhile, the ANC Women’s League in the Dr WB Rubusana region of KuGompo welcomed the release of four mayoral candidates for Buffalo City.
They are Simphiwe “Piya” Dzengwa, current mayor Princess Faku, Ncedo Kumbaca and Nocawe Mafu.
“This decision demonstrates a commitment to capable ethical and progressive leadership at a time when local government requires decisive intervention, stability and renewal,” the women’s league said.
In another development, Luthuli House confirmed that it had received a letter from the lawyers representing aggrieved ANC branch members in Buffalo City, who accused the leadership of violating its rules by interfering with the selection of candidates.
A letter from ANC attorneys, however, said the party was presently unable to furnish the members’ attorneys with a substantial response to their grievances.
