By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) failed to submit candidate lists for several municipalities on the stipulated 17:00 deadline, citing technical glitches.
In an earlier statement, the ANC said it was unable to capture all of its candidates on the IEC’s system due to a technical glitch.
The deadline set by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for candidate list submissions was last Friday, 28 August 2026.
Fullview learnt that the Eastern Cape was the most affected province. There are also allegations of tampered lists and irregularities in the selection process.
The ANC said it’s engaging the IEC to ensure all its candidate lists for the November 4th elections are captured, after missing the deadline.
However, the IEC said that there are no such engagements, and it will not allow any party, including the ANC, to add candidates to their lists now.
The commission has stated that the system was available to political parties and independent candidates throughout the nomination process, including the cut-off date, ensuring sufficient and uninterrupted use ahead of Friday’s deadline.
In 2021, the ANC missed the deadline to register candidates in 93 municipalities, but the commission later reopened the candidate registration process for political parties ahead of the municipal polls.
With the candidate submission phase winding down, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu stated that the ANC will refrain from conducting further commentary on the matter while the Commission finalises its work.
The party intends to provide a comprehensive update once the administrative process is officially concluded, added Bhengu.
The IEC announced it will host a comprehensive briefing on Wednesday, 02 September 2026.
The media briefing, set to take place at Election House in Riverside Office Park, Centurion, will outline the final outcomes of the candidate nomination stage and detail the upcoming milestones for the upcoming LGE.