South Africa’s electoral dispute puts nomination process under scrutiny

Wednesday 02 September 2026 - 15:15

By: Azzat Manal

South Africa’s electoral dispute puts nomination process under scrutiny

y after the governing African National Congress (ANC) and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) disagreed over claims that technical problems affected the party’s ability to submit some candidate lists on time.

The IEC rejected allegations that technical difficulties with its electronic nomination system prevented the ANC from meeting the legal deadline. The commission said the online nomination platform remained accessible throughout the submission period, including on the final day, when the deadline expired at 5 p.m. on August 28, 2026.

The electoral authority also made clear that it would not grant additional time to political parties or independent candidates after the official deadline had passed.

The ANC acknowledged that a limited number of nominations had not been completed before the cutoff, attributing the situation to technical difficulties encountered during the final day of the process. Party spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said the vast majority of the party’s candidates had been submitted, while describing the remaining cases as a technical and administrative issue.

The dispute is particularly significant in the Eastern Cape, where reports indicate that some ANC candidates may not have been successfully registered for ward and proportional representation contests in several municipalities.

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula had previously rejected reports that the party had missed the deadline, insisting that all candidates had been submitted and that the required payments had already been made.

The IEC stressed that political parties had been able to begin submitting candidate information from June 21, giving them additional time to prepare their lists before the formal nomination period.

The disagreement comes as South Africa prepares for local elections scheduled for November 4, with political parties facing an increasingly competitive electoral environment. Candidate lists are expected to play a central role in campaign preparations and the allocation of local political representation.

Between 28.5 million and 30 million voters are expected to participate, including approximately 2.9 million newly registered voters. A total of 674 political parties are taking part in the electoral process, highlighting the increasingly fragmented nature of South Africa’s political landscape.

Young voters are also emerging as a major focus for political parties. The IEC reported in June that more than 70 percent of young people who had reached voting age were not registered on the electoral roll, prompting parties to reconsider how they communicate with younger generations ahead of the elections.

The commission is also preparing for what could become the country’s largest municipal election in terms of the number of candidates. More than 100,000 nominations could be submitted across more than 4,468 electoral wards, compared with around 95,000 candidates in the 2021 local elections.

Public confidence and political representation remain broader challenges. A recent Ipsos survey found that approximately 47 percent of South Africans believe that none of the political parties adequately represents their views.

Against this backdrop, the dispute over candidate nominations adds another layer of pressure to an already closely watched electoral process. The ability of political parties to complete their nominations correctly and on time could prove important in determining their competitiveness when voters head to the polls in November.