BUFFALO CITY — The ongoing UDM IEC candidate list dispute has intensified as the United Democratic Movement (UDM) attributes its submission challenges to severe technical glitches within the Independent Electoral Commission’s outdated IT infrastructure. While the electoral body maintains its online nomination system was fully operational, party leaders argue that systemic failures have unfairly penalized multiple political parties ahead of the November elections.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa recently claimed that a technical glitch prevented several political parties from submitting their candidate lists on time, placing the blame squarely on what he described as antiquated IT systems. In response, the IEC disputed the claims, stating that its records showed the online nomination system was fully operational and did not fail.
However, the UDM maintains that the electoral commission is directly responsible for the candidate-list dispute, citing specific instances of systemic errors that disrupted their registration process.
Technical Glitches and the “One-Size-Fits-All” Approach
Speaking from the Buffalo City Municipality, UDM Deputy President Nqabayomzi Kwankwa detailed the specific technical hurdles the party faced. Kwankwa highlighted the case of Prince Mlimandlela, a candidate in the KSD municipality, to illustrate the IT system’s inconsistencies.
According to Kwankwa, the IEC’s IT system initially approved Mlimandlela’s details without issue. The party proceeded to submit their proportional representation (PR) list based on this acceptance. However, several hours later, the IEC sent an email questioning the registration and asking for further clarification.
Kwankwa argued that if there was an issue—such as the candidate being registered elsewhere—the IEC system should have flagged it immediately upon capture, rather than accepting the details and raising objections hours later via email. He noted that during the active registration process, party officials were focused on capturing data and not monitoring correspondence, making the delayed email notification a critical technical glitch.
Emphasizing the scale of the problem, Kwankwa pointed out that 45 political parties were affected by these challenges. He criticized the IEC’s handling of the situation, arguing against a “one-size-fits-all” approach and insisting that the commission should entertain each incident independently rather than locking out smaller parties while focusing solely on major stakeholders.
Legal Strategy and Constitutional Court Recourse
The dispute has now moved to the legal arena. Kwankwa revealed that the UDM has been analyzing the African National Congress’s (ANC) legal case regarding the matter. Rather than running parallel legal processes, the UDM has opted to join the ANC’s case as “friends of the court” at the Constitutional Court.
Kwankwa clarified that this strategic decision was not driven by financial constraints, noting that the party is already spending heavily on daily ground campaigns. Instead, the move is designed to save time and ensure the matter reaches finality without jeopardizing the November election schedule.
Furthermore, Kwankwa referenced an alleged admission by IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo. According to the UDM, Mamabolo acknowledged during a party liaison committee meeting that the IEC’s systems do indeed have problems, even though the commission has publicly denied any technical glitches to avoid public scrutiny.
Local Campaign Strategies and DA Criticism
The submission dispute has forced the UDM to adapt its local campaign strategies, particularly in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCM). Kwankwa explained that Buffalo City is not heavily impacted by the candidate list issue because the party has adopted a specific strategy for its PR list. Only Kwankwa’s name currently appears on the list, with the intention to populate the remaining seats after the elections.
This approach, which aligns with the Municipal Structures Act, allows the party to use a “scientific approach” to determine PR councilors based on ground-level performance and campaign contributions. Conversely, in areas like KSD where ward candidates were directly affected by the registration failures, the party is focusing on maximizing its ward wins.
However, the strategy of leaving the PR list largely unpopulated before the election has drawn sharp criticism from the Democratic Alliance (DA). The DA has threatened legal action, suggesting that the UDM’s refusal to present its full PR list to the public is a deliberate tactic to hide candidates with checkered pasts, potentially including former convicts or individuals with histories of severe crimes.
Dismissing the DA’s concerns, Kwankwa labeled the criticism an “election gimmick.” He maintained that the UDM is strictly following the law, which permits the post-election population of PR lists, and noted that any future judgments would not be applied retrospectively.
“We have no surprises for the electorate,” Kwankwa asserted, adding that the individuals who will form part of the final PR list are already known on the ground. Many are actively campaigning alongside the public or are standing as ward candidates in their specific areas, ensuring that voters know exactly who they are supporting.
