ANC Bojanala Regional Task Team (RTT) members in the North West have formally challenged the validity of the region’s candidate-selection process for the 2026 local government elections, alleging that key party rules were breached when prospective councillors were interviewed, vetted and ranked.
In a formal dispute seen by Africa Daily, addressed to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and the North West provincial leadership, the concerned RTT members have called for the Bojanala candidate lists to be suspended pending an investigation into what they describe as “material procedural deficiencies” that undermine the fairness and legitimacy of the process.
Africa Daily understands that the dispute centres on the work of the Bojanala Regional Interview and Vetting Panel (RIVP), which is responsible for interviewing, vetting, ordering and balancing candidates for the upcoming elections.
The members allege that the panel proceeded with the process despite;
1. conceding that it had not received complete information
2. did not have the curriculum vitae (CVs) of PR candidates
3. had not interviewed the majority of affected candidates and had not received the required candidate packages from the Provincial List Committee (PLC).
They further allege that a preliminary candidate list was submitted to the PLC before it was properly presented to the RTT, while no complete written candidate list was provided to the RTT.
The dispute also raises concerns about the alleged use of information supplied by an individual RTT member to finalise the Madibeng candidate list.
The concerned members argue that these issues are not minor administrative shortcomings but go to the heart of whether the candidate-selection process was conducted in accordance with ANC rules.
According to the dispute, rule 8.3.4 requires the RIVP to interview all PR nominees who meet the prescribed cut-off before ordering and balancing the lists.
“The RIVP will interview all PR nominees that meet the cut-off number of candidates needed for each municipal council in their region, order and balance lists according to the rules, and present and motivate these to the extended PEC,” the rule states.
The members though argue that candidates who met the cut-off but were not interviewed were therefore denied a process expressly required by the party’s rules.
They further contend that the absence of interviews could mean some candidates were ranked on second-hand information, incomplete records or information provided by individual political actors rather than through a comparable assessment of all candidates.
The dispute also raises concerns over the alleged absence of CVs for Bojanala PR candidates.
The RTT members argue that the panel could not properly assess candidates’ qualifications, employment histories, local government experience or specialist skills without access to their CVs.
They also question how the RIVP could assess the capacity required by individual municipalities while working with what they describe as incomplete candidate information.
Another major concern relates to the alleged sequencing of the process.
The dispute states that the ANC rules require the RIVP to develop the draft municipal lists, share them with the RTT so its representatives can prepare their positions, and then submit the lists to the PLC before they are jointly presented to the extended PEC.
However, the concerned members allege that a preliminary list had already been submitted to the PLC before the RTT had been properly presented with the list.
They argue that this potentially undermined the RTT’s ability to fulfil its prescribed role. Rule 10.2.9 states that the draft list must be shared with the RTT so that its representatives can prepare comments and positions for the extended PEC.
The members are calling on the PLC to establish when the list was submitted, when it was presented to the RTT, which version was submitted and whether any changes were subsequently made.
They are also demanding an explanation for the alleged use of information from an individual RTT member in finalising the Madibeng list.
The dispute argues that this is particularly concerning because the rules state that the RTT has no power to intervene in the RIVP process before the extended PEC.
The members want the RIVP to disclose who provided the information, what was provided, which candidates were affected, whether the information altered rankings and whether it was independently verified.
The dispute further alleges that the RIVP had still not received all required information on the eve of the extended PEC.
The concerned RTT members say a complete documentary trail should show who was nominated, the nomination totals, which candidates met the cut-off, what CVs were received, who was interviewed, what vetting was conducted and how the final rankings were determined.
They are therefore asking the PLC, and if necessary the Electoral Committee, to uphold the dispute and suspend any further reliance on, ratification of or implementation of the disputed Bojanala candidate lists.
The concerned RTT members stressed that their objection was not intended to secure a particular outcome for any candidate.
“The purpose of the relief sought is not to secure a predetermined outcome for any candidate,” they said.
“It is to ensure that every candidate and every branch is treated according to the same rules, that community and branch nominations are properly respected and recorded, and that the final lists placed before the appropriate structures can withstand scrutiny as fair, transparent, complete and organisationally legitimate.”
They warned that the disputed process and any outcome flowing from it should not be regarded as final until the alleged irregularities have been investigated and remedied.