ANC Says It Is Not Seeking Special Treatment From IEC Over Missing Candidates

The African National Congress (ANC) says it is not seeking special treatment from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) after failing to meet the deadline for the final submission of all its candidates for the November municipal elections.

The party has instead approached the Electoral Court to determine whether technical difficulties experienced during the submission process contributed to the omission of 181 candidates from its lists.

The affected candidates were due to contest six councils, including the Mangaung metropolitan municipality.

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ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula maintains that the details of the affected candidates had already been captured on the IEC system before the party was prevented from completing the final submission.

The ANC's chief administrator said the legal challenge was not intended to undermine the electoral commission or turn the dispute into a contest over blame.

ANC Says Most Candidates Were Captured

Mbalula said the party was also not attempting to introduce new candidates after missing the deadline.

He said about 97% of the ANC's more than 9,000 candidates had been successfully captured on the system.

“We are not in court because we are asking for a favour because we missed the deadline. We are not in court because IDs were rejected by the system and we want to load them,” Mbalula said.

The party's position is that the Electoral Court should establish whether technical problems affected the submission process and whether the omitted candidates were already properly recorded before the deadline passed.

The outcome of the legal challenge will determine whether the ANC can rectify the omissions ahead of the elections.

Mbalula Defends Delay In Mayoral Announcements

Mbalula has also defended the ANC's decision to delay announcing its mayoral candidates for the country's metropolitan municipalities.

He said the party had prioritised completing the broader candidate selection process before announcing individuals for mayoral positions.

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“We did not want to put the issue of mayors ahead of the selection [of candidates], because it will rupture. As it has now, the list process, there is rupture,” Mbalula said.

The comments come as the ANC deals with internal tensions surrounding its candidate lists and the legal dispute over the 181 omissions.

ANC Says Omissions Can Still Be Corrected

Mbalula said the party believed the errors on its candidate lists could still be corrected through the legal process.

The ANC has stressed that its application is not an appeal for preferential treatment, but an attempt to establish whether the technical difficulties surrounding the submission process played a role in the omissions.

The Electoral Court will ultimately determine the merits of the ANC's challenge and whether any remedy is available to the party.