The ANC will make a final push in the Constitutional Court on 12 October 2026 to include at least 180 candidates on its lists for next month’s municipal elections.
The party missed the August candidate submission deadline in six municipalities, including Mangaung metro.
The dispute has opened opportunities for opposition parties ahead of the polls.
ANC challenges candidate registration rules
The ANC lost its challenge in the Electoral Court last month after arguing that the Electoral Commission, known as the IEC, had applied its candidate registration rules too strictly.
EWN reports that the party has dropped its earlier argument that the IEC’s online nomination system was not working properly on deadline day.
Its case now centres on the distinction between uploading candidate information and formally submitting the lists.
The ANC will argue that uploading the candidates’ details before the deadline demonstrated its intention to nominate them, even though it did not press the system’s submit button.
The Constitutional Court application seeks to have those candidates included despite the incomplete submission process.
DA targets Eastern Cape councils
The DA has moved to capitalise on the ANC’s registration problems in the Eastern Cape.
It has announced mayoral candidates in Port St Johns and Ingquza Hill, which EWN describes as ANC strongholds.
DA Eastern Cape leader Andrew Whitfield said the situation offered residents an opportunity to choose an alternative government. He argued that his party could provide stability, good governance and basic services.
Whitfield also identified Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley as opportunities, following the ANC’s failure to field candidates there.
According to EWN, he said a DA victory in Sundays River Valley could also help the party secure government in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality.
Party also faces internal legal disputes
The registration dispute comes alongside legal challenges from ANC members in the Eastern Cape, who allege that the party’s candidate lists were manipulated.
Those allegations form a separate challenge to the party’s election preparations.
The ANC’s next attempt to resolve the submission dispute is scheduled for 12 October, when it will ask the country’s highest court to accept its explanation.