ANC weighs Electoral Court action on candidate lists

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the party is considering approaching the Electoral Court to resolve issues that prevented the submission of some candidate lists for the upcoming local government elections. The African National Congress (ANC) missed the August 28 deadline to finalize candidate submissions in several municipalities, citing technical glitches with the Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC) candidate capture system. Speaking on the sidelines of an ANC doorto-door campaign in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, on Friday, September 4, 2026, Ramaphosa said the problems were related to the interface with the IEC system. He asserted that the candidate lists were prepared for the entire country and submitted, but encountered glitches in specific areas. Ramaphosa emphasized that these technical issues should not disenfranchise voters, stating, "Technical glitches should not, in the end, deprive our people of their democratic right to vote for candidates of their choice." The IEC, however, has disputed the ANC's claims, maintaining that its system operated as designed and that political parties had ample time to submit nominations after the system opened on June 21.