Johannesburg – The African National Congress (ANC) says it will appeal the Electoral Court’s ruling that dismissed the party’s challenge to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) regarding the submission of councillor candidate lists.
The court challenge brought by the ANC, whose online submission of candidates hit a snag, was heard virtually at 4 pm on Tuesday, 15 September 2026.
Commenting on the ruling, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu stated: “The ANC has noted the judgment of the Electoral Court concerning the dispute over the submission of the party’s candidate information in the affected municipalities.
“The ANC respects the courts and the judicial process.
“We have consistently maintained that this matter is not about seeking preferential treatment for the ANC, nor about asking the Electoral Commission to change the rules for the benefit of our organisation.
“It concerns the legal status of candidate information that the ANC maintains was captured into the IEC’s electronic system before the prescribed deadline.”
The IEC has maintained that there were no technical glitches on its side and that it would not permit late submissions from other political parties.
At least 48 parties are affected by the Electoral Court ruling.
This means that the ANC will not be able to field 181 councillors in municipalities across provinces including the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
However, Bhengu said: “Having considered the judgment, the ANC will exercise its legal rights and pursue the appropriate appeal process.
“Our legal representatives will engage the court on the legal questions arising from the judgment.
“We call on all ANC members, leaders, and supporters to remain calm and disciplined, and to refrain from public commentary that could prejudice or interfere with the ongoing legal process.”
Bhengu stated that the ANC remains fully committed to the 2026 Local Government Elections.
“Our focus remains on presenting our programme to South Africans, engaging communities, and earning their support through our record and our policies for the betterment of communities.”
The ANC’s partner in the Government of National Unity – the Democratic Alliance showed little empathy, saying instead that it welcomed the Electoral Court ruling.
“Today’s judgement of the Electoral Court stops the ANC from submitting candidates for the upcoming election after the deadline all other parties were held to,” the DA said on Wednesday, 16 September 2026.
“It is good for the rule of law, the fairness of elections, and equality among parties that the rules were not bent for the ANC.
“The ANC is facing mounting internal and external pressure about this major operational failure, and the court case it brought lacked merit and substance, and appears to be more of a PR exercise than a legal one.
“The candidate submission process is now complete.”
Meanwhile, the IEC has certified 136 790 Candidates to contest the 2026 Local Government Elections.
In a statement, the IEC said it was “pleased to report that the evolving electoral process is progressing well, with key Election Timetable activities on track or already accomplished”
The candidate nomination process closed on 28 August 2026 at 17H00.
The process entailed two submission channels: submission of manual documents at the local Electoral Commission offices countrywide, and submission via the Online Candidate Nomination portal.
