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Thursday, September 3, 2026 · UTC
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ANC Provincial Secretary Demands Answers Over Botched Election Submission

Eastern Cape ANC secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi confronts Fikile Mbalula over incomplete council candidate submissions.

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Eastern Cape ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi sent a letter dated August 31 to party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula demanding a detailed report on the ANC's incomplete submission of council candidates for the local government elections. [1] The African National Congress (ANC) failed to formally submit local council candidate lists in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State before the August 28 deadline. [2] IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo rejected the suggestion that the commission's system had malfunctioned, stating the online candidate nomination system remained available throughout the nomination process including the cut-off date. [3] Mbalula's office stated in a Monday statement that the ANC successfully lodged the overwhelming majority of candidates but claimed the IEC's candidate-capture system experienced technical problems affecting a number of parties. [4] The letter requested a consolidated list of all ward and proportional-representation candidates submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), broken down by municipality and region, specifically highlighting the OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo, Sundays River, and Walter Sisulu regions. [5] The ANC stated in a Wednesday statement that the shortfall was caused by a malfunction in the commission's final confirmation step, not by any failure on its own part. [6] The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) stated that 2,274 prospective candidates from 45 political parties nationwide were captured on the system but never formally submitted by the August 28 deadline. [7] The IEC confirmed it will not reopen the nomination system or accept late additions, beginning a candidate verification process on September 4. [8]
What this stands on
  1. Eastern Cape ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi sent a letter dated August 31 to party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula demanding a detailed report on the ANC's incomplete submission of council candidates for the local government elections. · Sunday Times
  2. The African National Congress (ANC) failed to formally submit local council candidate lists in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State before the August 28 deadline. · Business Day
  3. IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo rejected the suggestion that the commission's system had malfunctioned, stating the online candidate nomination system remained available throughout the nomination process including the cut-off date. · Sunday Times
  4. Mbalula's office stated in a Monday statement that the ANC successfully lodged the overwhelming majority of candidates but claimed the IEC's candidate-capture system experienced technical problems affecting a number of parties. · Sunday Times
  5. The letter requested a consolidated list of all ward and proportional-representation candidates submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), broken down by municipality and region, specifically highlighting the OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo, Sundays River, and Walter Sisulu regions. · Sunday Times
  6. The ANC stated in a Wednesday statement that the shortfall was caused by a malfunction in the commission's final confirmation step, not by any failure on its own part. · Business Day
  7. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) stated that 2,274 prospective candidates from 45 political parties nationwide were captured on the system but never formally submitted by the August 28 deadline. · Business Day
  8. The IEC confirmed it will not reopen the nomination system or accept late additions, beginning a candidate verification process on September 4. · Business Day
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