The ANC in Sedibeng is facing the fallout after the November 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE), battling a voters’ roll dispute, a loss of support in Emfuleni, and a coalition scramble that will decide who governs one of Gauteng’s most troubled municipalities.
Speaking to Africa Daily on Wednesday, ANC Sedibeng Regional Secretary Jason Mkhwane laid out the party’s case on the voters’ roll, acknowledged its declining support, and refused to disclose who the ANC is negotiating with as rival parties manoeuvre for control of Emfuleni after the vote.
The voters’ roll dispute is now central to the ANC’s posture after the LGE. Mkhwane said the party had flagged irregularities long before the November count.
“Our concerns include unusually large numbers of voters recorded at individual addresses, voter records without addresses and instances where the same identity details appeared in different voting districts,” Mkhwane said.
The ANC’s analysis identified 1,582 voters recorded at one address in Sebokeng Unit 13 and 1,256 at one address in Sharpeville. It also identified 32,182 records without addresses and 34 instances where the same identity details appeared across different voting districts.
“These discrepancies require investigation. We are not suggesting that they alone prove unlawful voting,” Mkhwane said.
He rejected the suggestion that the concerns only emerged after the ANC lost ground.
“We raised concerns with the IEC before the Ward 28 by-elections in May 2026 and even issued a statement on 26 May 2026 in that regard. It would therefore be incorrect to suggest that these concerns arose only after counting in November. We have since filed Section 65 objections and instructed our attorneys to prepare court papers,” he said.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has not yet responded, according to Mkhwane.
“We are not in a position to confirm the completion or outcome of the recount at this stage. The IEC has not responded or communicated anything on the objections raised. We will communicate that once we have information,” he said.
He drew a clear distinction between a recount and the voters’ roll.
“Our concerns about the voters’ roll are distinct from the accuracy of the ballot count. A recount confirming the totals would not, on its own, answer the questions we have raised about disputed registrations. Any further legal action must be supported by evidence and explain the relevance of those concerns to the election outcome,” he said.
For the ANC, the dispute is not only legal. It is political. Emfuleni has become a test of whether the party can still convince voters it can govern a municipality long associated with service delivery collapse, sewage spillages, water interruptions, billing chaos and financial distress.
Mkhwane acknowledged the decline and said the party could not use legal objections to avoid accountability.
“We acknowledge the decline in our support and take it seriously. Pursuing electoral objections does not remove our responsibility to listen to residents or account for our record in government,” he said.
“The service delivery difficulties facing Emfuleni have caused real frustration. We accept that dissatisfaction with our performance may have contributed to the decline. Our comrades entrusted with leadership must account for commitments that were not fulfilled,” he added.
He cautioned against presenting assumptions as findings from an internal ANC report.
“However, we should not present assumptions as findings from an internal report. We cannot attribute specific conclusions to that report without confirming its contents,” Mkhwane said.
On whether that report would be published, he was non-committal.
“We cannot confirm a decision to publish the report at this stage. We also do not want to misrepresent its recommendations by commenting on details that have not been authorised for release,” he said.
“The appropriate ANC structures should communicate the decisions arising from that process. Residents deserve clarity about what the ANC intends to do in response to the outcome.”
The November 2026 LGE has tested that clarity. In Emfuleni, no single party was able to govern without partners, and coalition arithmetic has become as important as campaign promises. The by-elections that preceded the LGE had already exposed how fragile those arrangements are.
Mkhwane said the ANC would respect the courts if the voters’ roll matter reaches the Electoral Court.
“We will respect the court’s ruling. Any decision about further legal steps would be guided by the judgment, advice from our attorneys and whether there are proper grounds to proceed,” he said.
“Our councillors have a responsibility to serve residents while these processes unfold. We cannot allow an electoral dispute to become a reason for neglecting the needs of communities. Coalition discussions must likewise be guided by the ANC’s mandate and the interests of residents.”
But on coalition talks, Mkhwane would not name names.
“We are not in a position to name negotiating partners or confirm agreements at this stage. We should avoid creating expectations around discussions that have not produced an agreed outcome,” he said.
“Our approach is that any arrangement must support stable governance, accountability and improvements in services. Confirmed outcomes will be communicated through the authorised ANC structures.”
His silence comes amid intense speculation that the DA is in talks with the PAC and smaller parties to take over Emfuleni after the elections.
Sources in the region say the ANC is reluctant to talk to the DA, with the mood in some quarters described as “anything but the DA.”
Neither the DA nor the PAC has confirmed a coalition deal. The ANC has also not confirmed whether it has ruled out talks with the DA.