ANC races to ConCourt as candidate-list crisis opens door for rivals - IOL

The ANC has approached the apex court in bid to overturn the municipal election candidate list setback.

ANC is making a last bid to overturn its municipal election candidate list setback, with the party due to approach the Constitutional Court on Monday in an effort to add at least 180 candidates to its lists.

The urgent legal move follows the ANC’s defeat in the Electoral Court last month after it challenged the Electoral Commission’s handling of candidate registration rules.

The party missed the August deadline to submit candidates in six municipalities, including the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.

This opened up a path for the rivals to take over in these regions. 

The dispute has now moved beyond the courts and into the political arena, with opposition parties quickly exploiting the openings created by the ANC’s registration failures.

In the Eastern Cape, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has already announced mayoral candidates in Port St Johns and Ingquza Hill, two municipalities where the ANC has traditionally held significant political influence.

DA Eastern Cape leader Andrew Whitfield said the ANC’s failure had created an opportunity for residents to consider an alternative at the ballot box.

“The ANC is falling apart and we must be there to protect good governance, stability and basic services in the best interest of all residents,” Whitfield said.

“The DA’s growth in the Eastern Cape is undeniable.”

The DA is also eyeing Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley, where the ANC has similarly been unable to field candidates.

Whitfield said the party believed the developments could have wider implications in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality.

“The DA is excited because the Sarah Baartman District Municipality is on the cusp of DA government,” he said.

But the ANC’s candidate-list troubles extend beyond its dispute with the electoral authorities.

The party is also facing legal challenges from members in the Eastern Cape who allege that its candidate lists were manipulated.

The party is seeking to reopen a candidate-registration process it failed to complete on time, while its political opponents are already positioning themselves to contest the municipalities affected by the omissions.