By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC) Fikile Mbalula has resumed his official duties after a dramatic health scare.
Mbalula briefed journalists at Luthuli House on Sunday afternoon.
He collapsed on Thursday, 15 October 2026, during an emotional address at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg.
The briefing followed the Constitutional Court’s decision to overturn an Electoral Court ruling that had upheld the exclusion of the 181 ANC candidates.
The ruling cleared the way for the 181 candidates to contest the elections in six municipalities across the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. The dispute arose after the ANC’s candidate nominations were not marked as finally submitted on the IEC’s electronic nomination system before the deadline.
The court victory came amid internal ANC tensions over the handling of the candidate-list controversy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa praised Mbalula’s handling of the matter, saying he had led the party through the challenge ‘with great distinction’, while stressing that his health and recovery must take priority before he returns to work.
He was under a lot of stress… he was carrying a heavy burden, as any secretary-general would,’ Ramaphosa said.
The ConCourt decision will likely reinvigorate Mbalula’s campaign to take over the reins at the ANC.
The party will hold its national elective conference next year. Mbalula is expected to run for president or deputy president.
Mbalula said doctors examined him and that he had rested after Ramaphosa told him to go to bed and recuperate.
He said he has recovered and has thanked those who were concerned about his wellbeing.
“To my family who had the fright of their lives and to all of you. The doctors have examined me, and I am as fit as a fiddle. I have rested.”
He thanked the Constitutional Court for hearing the matter urgently and giving it the seriousness it deserved. And he also thanked the party’s legal team led by Adv Daniel Berger.
Mbalula said the case benefited other political parties and independent candidates who faced similar exclusions.
“The ballot papers in those municipalities are being reprinted, 32 other parties found themselves in the exact same position and they have also been included. We did not go to court for a favour, we went for a principle.”
In most of South Africa’s metros no party is expected to win a majority in the 4 November elections.
Meanwhile ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) calls on the party to censure and discipline its Chairperson Gwede Mantashe for his remarks on sex for jobs.