JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — Former African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC) member Andile Lungisa has taken party Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula to the Johannesburg High Court over his abrupt removal from the ANC candidate list for the Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral race. The legal escalation highlights growing internal friction as the party campaigns to secure an outright majority in the metro.
The controversy centers on the candidate list submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). While the ANC initially characterized Lungisa’s exclusion as an administrative mishap or system glitch, recent developments indicate that Mbalula has pointed the finger at Eastern Cape provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi. According to reports, Tobi allegedly uploaded the candidate list to the IEC portal a mere 29 minutes before the deadline and made unauthorized changes to names that had already been approved by the NEC.
Regional chairperson Babalwa Lobishe recently claimed there was no public outcry regarding Lungisa’s absence from the list, suggesting the removal was a deliberate NEC decision. Lungisa strongly rejected this narrative, describing such claims as coming from individuals with “no clue” and “no history” of Nelson Mandela Bay. He pointed to severe service delivery failures—including overflowing sewers, water leaks, and filthy conditions in townships like Zwide (Karaka), KwaDwesi (Kaba), and Despatch—as undeniable proof of massive community frustration and a clear demand for his leadership.
Emphasizing that the ANC is a “revolutionary organization” and not a “big mouse” operation, Lungisa detailed his attempts to resolve the matter through internal channels before approaching the courts. He stated that he wrote a formal letter to the Secretary-General on August 31, copied to party officials and NEC members. After receiving no response for 10 days, despite making daily phone calls to the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretaries-General, he felt compelled to take legal action to protect his rights as a party member.
Lungisa’s legal challenge is grounded in the Freedom Charter’s principle that “the people shall govern,” which he argues anchors the ANC’s guidelines and gave birth to the 1996 Constitution. He specifically cited Section 47(1)(e) of the Constitution, noting that he was already cleared of any related eligibility issues by delegates, including the “young lions,” at the last national conference. He argued that attempting to invoke that rule against him now would constitute double jeopardy and undermine the supreme document of the country.
Despite the legal battle, Lungisa reaffirmed his loyalty to the ANC, stating he has no personal ambition to be a councillor or mayor, having originally trained and worked as a mechanical engineer. He explained that he only entered the political fray in response to a direct call from community structures, churches, business communities, SMEs, and war veterans to prevent his home city from collapsing. He vowed to remain at the forefront of the party’s campaign in Nelson Mandela Bay until the November 4 elections, and to continue advocating for the implementation of the ANC manifesto’s six pillars thereafter.
When pressed on Mbalula’s public blaming of Ngcukayitobi for the submission mishap, Lungisa declined to comment on internal organizational disputes. He clarified that his legal action is strictly focused on addressing the violation of his individual rights as an ANC member, leaving broader organizational accountability to the party’s official structures.
