PRETORIA, Gauteng — Administrative errors and deadline disputes surrounding the ANC candidate list blunders have placed the party’s electoral prospects at serious risk ahead of the upcoming local government elections. Key strongholds in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal now face potential ballot exclusion, prompting urgent legal challenges before the Electoral Court and raising critical questions about internal accountability within the ruling party.
The ruling party’s council majorities are under severe threat due to a combination of administrative oversights, internal candidate capturing errors, and disputes with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) over submission deadlines. The situation is most acute in the Eastern Cape, where missed electronic submission steps could lead to complete or severe ballot exclusion in certain municipalities unless the Electoral Court intervenes.
Political analyst Ebrahim Fakir, who clarified during discussions that he does not hold a doctorate despite being frequently addressed as one, outlined the gravity of the situation. He noted that while technological failures can occur, documented evidence from recent media reports indicates the party was still uploading and submitting candidate names moments before the official deadline.
According to Fakir, the IEC has pointed to discrepancies between the party’s claims of a system glitch and the actual usage logs on the submission portal. On the balance of probabilities, Fakir argued, the electoral commission appears to be in the clear. He emphasized that electoral rules cannot be relaxed for a single political entity, as doing so would set a dangerous precedent where legal deadlines and regulatory requirements become negotiable.
The potential exclusion carries significant implications for voter behavior. Fakir highlighted that voter turnout was already projected to be depressed, not necessarily due to political apathy, but because of a profound lack of trust in both the political system and local government institutions. Citing data from organizations such as the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, he noted that political parties consistently rank among the least trusted institutions in society.
If voters in affected municipalities arrive at polling stations to find their preferred party absent from the ballot, they may choose to leave their ballots blank, spoil their votes, or pivot to alternative parties.
However, Fakir warned of a predictable political maneuver: the party may attempt to spin the situation as victimization. Delegitimizing the independent organization responsible for administering the election is a well-worn tactic used to externalize the cost of political ineptitude. He pointed out that the party had over a month to finalize its submissions, with internal electoral conveners urging members to get their administrative houses in order well in advance.
Addressing the internal fallout, ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has publicly defended the administrative failures, framing them as a “collective institutional issue” rather than assigning blame to specific individuals or factions responsible for the oversight.
When questioned on whether this collective framing shields leadership from necessary accountability, Fakir acknowledged the complexity of the ANC’s internal dynamics. He described the party’s candidate selection process as a vigorously contested space involving prolonged debates over representation, regional balance, and ideological positioning. While this internal democratic contestation is understandable, Fakir stressed that internal party processes must ultimately conform to external, legally binding deadlines.
Contextualizing the scale of the issue, Fakir noted that while the country has over 240 municipalities, these specific administrative blunders are currently affecting approximately six of them. In some instances, the party could be entirely wiped out in specific local councils, resulting in fewer seats and diminished opportunities for patronage distribution.
“Unfortunately, that is how the cookie crumbles,” Fakir concluded, noting that the situation serves as a critical lesson for the party moving forward.
