South Africa: ANC Loses Court Battle Over Excluded Candidates, Vows to Appeal

What the report says

South Africa’s Electoral Court has rejected the ANC’s bid to reverse the exclusion of 181 of its local election candidates, in a dispute that turned on whether their details were properly submitted through the Electoral Commission’s online nomination system. The case concerns candidates spread across six municipalities in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State, ahead of the 4 November local government elections.

According to Scrolla’s report, the ANC argued that the candidate information had been loaded before the nomination deadline and should count as filed, while the IEC said uploading data was not the same as completing formal submission. The court sided with the commission and dismissed the challenge. It also allowed the DA to intervene in the matter.

A separate attempt by the African Transformation Movement to join the case was turned down because it was filed too late and without the correct application. No costs order was made.

The ANC said it would pursue further legal options and urged supporters to remain calm. The ruling matters because it affects who can stand for office in several municipalities and may shape how parties handle electronic nomination procedures in future elections. More broadly, it highlights the legal weight of administrative deadlines in South Africa’s electoral process.