JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member Andile Lungisa has taken the African National Congress (ANC) and Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula to the Johannesburg High Court over his abrupt removal from the party’s Nelson Mandela Bay candidate list. The urgent legal challenge seeks to declare the decision unlawful and compel the party leadership to reinstate him as a proportional representation (PR) councillor and mayoral candidate for the metro.
The legal action unfolds against a backdrop of broader electoral list complications for the ruling party. The ANC is currently preparing to approach the electoral court regarding candidate submissions, citing a systemic glitch within the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) that allegedly prevented the submission of a full candidate list. As a result of the party missing the set IEC deadline, several candidates across six municipalities in the Eastern Cape have already been excluded.
Lungisa’s legal team filed the urgent court papers electronically, arguing that his omission from the representation list lacks any valid justification. Sinawo Makangela, the legal representative for the embattled NEC member, affirmed that they have a strong case to prove. Makangela emphasized that Lungisa was publicly paraded as a key ANC candidate for the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, making his sudden removal from the PR list both inexplicable and procedurally flawed.
“The issue is that he has been removed, and there is no justifiable reason for the removal of his name from the PR list of Nelson Mandela Bay,” Makangela stated, confirming that the matter is scheduled to be heard in the Johannesburg High Court on the 29th of September.
The internal legal battle has prompted the party to prepare an official response to the unprecedented challenge from within its own ranks. ANC spokesperson Mangi Bengal is expected to address the matter publicly later to comment on the fact that a sitting NEC member has taken the party and its Secretary-General to court over candidate list placements.
