JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — The African National Congress (ANC) is fighting on two fronts ahead of November’s local government elections, taking the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to the Electoral Court after 181 candidate nominations were not captured on the IEC system before the deadline. ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula confirmed the discrepancy, attributing the missing nominations to technical faults, a claim the IEC has firmly denied.
During a recent briefing, Mbalula addressed the scope of the issue, stating that 181 nominations across six councils have been affected by the registration glitch. He clarified the geographic impact, noting that the issue is largely isolated, with only Ngquza Hill and Port St. John’s having both wards affected.
“That is a serious loss, and I will not minimize it,” Mbalula stated. “But it is not the loss that has been described.”
This is not the first time the ANC has faced challenges with candidate deadlines. In 2021, the party similarly missed the candidate deadline but was rescued by an extension after the elections were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Compounding the administrative battle, a new Ipsos poll points to mounting political trouble for the ANC in its traditional strongholds. In Buffalo City, the polling data reveals a significant drop in support, with the ANC falling from 59.4% in 2021 to just 29% in the latest survey. This places the party behind the Democratic Alliance (DA), which currently sits at 33%.
The electoral race in Nelson Mandela Bay is proving to be even tighter, with the latest Ipsos polling indicating a dead heat, as both the ANC and the DA are tied at 37%.
As the November local government elections approach, the ANC’s dual battle—navigating Electoral Court disputes over candidate registrations while combating shifting voter sentiment in key metropolitan areas—will be a critical test for the party’s local governance strategy.
