The Independent Electoral Commission has firmly rejected claims by the African National Congress that it is working with the party to finalise outstanding candidate lists for the November local government elections.

In a statement released yesterday, 1 September, the IEC made it clear that no political party or independent candidate would be allowed to capture or change candidate details after the official deadline of 28 August.

The commission’s response followed a statement by the ANC on 31 August claiming it was working with the IEC to finalise remaining candidate submissions that were affected by technical problems.

ANC blames technical issues

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said on 31 August that while most of the party’s candidate lists were submitted before the Friday deadline, some registration attempts failed due to technical problems with the IEC’s candidate-capture system.

Bhengu said a small number of the party’s entries were left outstanding and were being finalised with the commission. She maintained the ANC’s full confidence in the IEC and the country’s democratic processes.

System worked throughout deadline period

The IEC rejected suggestions that its systems had failed or that any party would receive special treatment. The commission said the Online Candidate Nomination System remained fully functional throughout the nomination process, including up to the cut-off time on 28 August.

The electoral body said the digital system had been available to political contestants from 21 June, more than two months before the official nomination window opened on 7 August. This was designed to give parties enough time to test the system and manage their administrative work before the deadline.

Disputes must go through formal channels

The IEC said any outstanding issues or disputes about candidate nominations would not be resolved through informal arrangements. Instead, they must be raised at the National Political Liaison Committee, which includes representatives from all political parties with seats in the National Assembly.

The commission has scheduled a media briefing for 2 September to provide official statistics on candidate submissions and outline key milestones before the municipal elections on 4 November.

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