CENTURION, Gauteng — The African National Congress (ANC) candidate nomination deadline has passed with significant administrative fallout, as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) firmly rejected any requests to extend the submission window. With the November polls looming, IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo confirmed that the electoral body will not grant exceptions, leaving a substantial number of prospective office-seekers officially disqualified from the upcoming ballot.
The ruling party recently attributed its failure to finalize certain candidate lists to technical glitches within the digital filing platform. However, the ANC is not facing this hurdle alone; it is one of 45 political organizations caught in the exact same predicament. According to electoral officials, approximately 2,300 candidates were partially captured in the database but failed to reach final submission status before the cutoff, rendering them ineligible to contest the elections.
Addressing the controversy, IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo clarified that the ANC had specifically reached out to verify whether their nominees in certain municipalities were successfully registered. After the commission validated that those submissions were indeed incomplete, Mamabolo reinforced the institution’s rigid and impartial stance. He emphasized that the IEC has never considered, nor does it currently intend, to unlock the nomination platform for the exclusive benefit of any single political entity.
Despite these administrative roadblocks, the broader electoral landscape shows vigorous participation. IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya revealed that total candidate nominations have jumped by 43% when compared to the 2021 local government elections. In absolute numbers, 142,072 individuals have been put forward to vie for 10,526 councilor seats spanning various municipalities.
Moving forward, the commission’s primary focus shifts to rigorous vetting. Moepya noted that the immediate priority is auditing all filings to ensure strict adherence to legislative mandates. This compliance phase involves meticulous verification processes, such as confirming that every prospective candidate has duly signed and completed their official acceptance nomination forms.
The demographic breakdown of the applicant pool highlights distinct trends. Male nominees dominate the roster, comprising nearly two-thirds of the total, while female representation sits at 38%. The bulk of the applicants fall within the 36 to 55 age bracket. Notably, the 41 to 45 age group emerges as the single largest cohort, accounting for 16% of all nominations.
As the electoral machinery gears up for the November voting period, the IEC will finalize its compliance reviews over the coming weeks. The definitive, legally vetted list of all approved candidates is scheduled for official publication on the 16th of September.
