NORTH WEST PROVINCE — ActionSA has firmly defended its candidate lists against a Democratic Alliance (DA) Electoral Court challenge regarding proportional representation, dismissing the legal move as frivolous just weeks before the 2026 Local Government Elections.
The Democratic Alliance recently filed an urgent application challenging the candidate lists submitted by ActionSA, the EFF, the MK Party, and the GOOD party. The DA argues that voters were unfairly deprived of the names of potential councillors prior to the vote. However, ActionSA maintains that its single-candidate proportional representation lists are fully compliant with current electoral legislation.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has also opposed the DA’s urgent application, cautioning that a successful ruling in favor of the DA would severely disrupt the upcoming electoral process.
ActionSA Deputy President Dr Mbahare Kekana pushed back strongly against the legal challenge, assuring supporters that the party is ready to face the matter head-on.
“From a legal point of view, I can assure you that this court application is frivolous. It doesn’t have merits, and we have asked for a punitive cost order against the DA,” Dr Kekana stated. He highlighted the IEC’s stance, noting the commission’s warning that the application would disrupt the elections if granted.
Addressing the legal technicalities, Dr Kekana pointed out that the law clearly permits parties to supplement their candidate lists after the elections have taken place. He also took a swipe at the DA’s resources, suggesting that the party has excess funds to spend on legal battles.
“I think maybe the DA has got a lot of money to play around with, and they must share that money with us so that we can campaign, get more seats, and service our people,” he added.
Despite the legal distractions, ActionSA says it is fully focused on its political contestation in the North West province. The party confirmed it is contesting every ward in the province and has fielded mayoral candidates for three municipalities.
With the election date set for the 4th of November, Dr Kekana issued a direct appeal to the electorate, asking for a focused mandate to improve local governance.
“We are asking our people to vote for ActionSA and give us an opportunity. We are not looking for 30 years; we are saying just give us five years so that we can change and make amendments to service delivery for the people,” Dr Kekana said.
ActionSA’s election campaign in the North West is scheduled to continue aggressively throughout the weekend as the party ramps up its final push for the upcoming polls.
