ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe has called for calm and urged the party\u2019s supporters to allow court processes to unfold over the failure to submit municipal candidate lists on time. His appeal came as the IEC\u2019s court filings directly contradicted the ANC\u2019s claim that a technical glitch prevented the final registration of 181 ward and proportional representation candidates across six municipalities.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media in Qonce on Sunday, Mantashe said 97 percent of the party\u2019s candidates had been submitted successfully and only three percent remained outstanding. He described the Electoral Court challenge as the appropriate channel to settle the dispute.<\/p>\n
\u201c97% of our candidates have been submitted successfully; 3% is outstanding. That is why we have a court case because our report is that there was a technical glitch in the system and there are 45 parties affected. So, let\u2019s wait for the court case to come. When you deal with problems you don\u2019t blame. Once you begin to blame, you will not get a solution,\u201d Mantashe said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Eastern Cape ANC provincial chairperson Oscar Mabuyane confirmed that the province had adopted its candidate lists and sent representatives to register them at Luthuli House. He said a forensic investigation announced by secretary-general Fikile Mbalula would help the provincial executive account for what went wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe outcomes of the forensic that the SG has announced will help us account as the PEC, but remember, the lists were registered in HQ, not here. The province did its part; we concluded our lists,\u201d Mabuyane stated.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The administrative blunder has placed Mbalula under mounting internal pressure, with senior leaders reportedly demanding answers over omissions that could cost the party control of key municipalities. The ANC has told the court it is not asking for nominations to be reopened, only for its lists in the six councils to be declared valid.<\/p>\n
IEC\u2019s Audit Trail Counters ANC Claims<\/h4>\n
IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo stated in an affidavit that the commission\u2019s servers recorded 100 percent availability and zero downtime during the final hours before the deadline. He noted that the ANC was sent automated reminder emails on 26 August warning that numerous municipal lists had not yet been submitted as final.<\/p>\n
\u201cI deny that at 16h57, the ANC\u2019s administration were logged out of the OCNS and returned to the landing page. This is not borne out by the objective evidence. Even if they were, they could log back in,\u201d Mamabolo said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The IEC\u2019s audit trail showed no system activity in Ingquza Hill and Port St Johns during the final two hours, with the last recorded capture for both municipalities at 10.10pm on 27 August 2026. In contrast, the ANC successfully submitted its Inxuba Yethemba lists at 16:56 and 16:57, minutes before the 5pm deadline, demonstrating the platform was working.<\/p>\n
The matter remains before the Electoral Court, and no ruling had been announced by Sunday evening. Mabuyane confirmed the Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Committee would meet on Monday to study a report from the provincial legislative committee. The court\u2019s decision will determine whether the ANC can field candidates in municipalities such as Mangaung and Port St Johns, a ruling that could reshape the contest ahead of the 2026 local government elections.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe calls for calm as the party battles the IEC in court over missed municipal candidate list deadlines affecting six municipalities.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[33,992,132,50,719],"class_list":["post-1118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-anc","tag-candidate-lists","tag-gwede-mantashe","tag-iec","tag-local-government-elections"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court - MK Party<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe calls for calm as the party battles the IEC in court over missed municipal candidate list deadlines affecting six municipalities.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MK Party\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Siphiwe Khaya\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Siphiwe Khaya\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Siphiwe Khaya\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9f56905371434eb29146240baa3cb283\"},\"headline\":\"Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/\"},\"wordCount\":550,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"ANC\",\"Candidate Lists\",\"Gwede Mantashe\",\"IEC\",\"Local Government Elections\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"zu\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/\",\"name\":\"Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court - MK Party\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"zu\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/\",\"name\":\"MK Party\",\"description\":\"uMkhonto weSizwe Party\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"zu\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MK Party\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"zu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"MK Party\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9f56905371434eb29146240baa3cb283\",\"name\":\"Siphiwe Khaya\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"zu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/siphiwe-khaya-146x146.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/siphiwe-khaya-146x146.webp\",\"caption\":\"Siphiwe Khaya\"},\"description\":\"Siphiwe Khaya, a South African journalist and freelancer, holds a distinguished degree in journalism, grounding him in both the theory and practice of effective storytelling and reporting. His educational background, enriched by comprehensive journalistic courses, has equipped him with the skills to navigate the complex media landscape with integrity and insight. As a writer, Siphiwe's work spans various platforms and topics, showcasing his adaptability and commitment to journalistic excellence.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/author\/simphiwe\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court - MK Party","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court","og_description":"ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe calls for calm as the party battles the IEC in court over missed municipal candidate list deadlines affecting six municipalities.","og_url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/","og_site_name":"MK Party","article_published_time":"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Siphiwe Khaya","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Siphiwe Khaya","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/"},"author":{"name":"Siphiwe Khaya","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9f56905371434eb29146240baa3cb283"},"headline":"Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court","datePublished":"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/"},"wordCount":550,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization"},"keywords":["ANC","Candidate Lists","Gwede Mantashe","IEC","Local Government Elections"],"articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"zu"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/","name":"Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court - MK Party","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-14T04:30:30+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"zu","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/mantashe-urges-calm-as-anc-candidate-list-dispute-heads-to-electoral-court\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mantashe Urges Calm As ANC Candidate List Dispute Heads To Electoral Court"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/","name":"MK Party","description":"uMkhonto weSizwe Party","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"zu"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization","name":"MK Party","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"zu","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"MK Party"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9f56905371434eb29146240baa3cb283","name":"Siphiwe Khaya","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"zu","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/siphiwe-khaya-146x146.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/siphiwe-khaya-146x146.webp","caption":"Siphiwe Khaya"},"description":"Siphiwe Khaya, a South African journalist and freelancer, holds a distinguished degree in journalism, grounding him in both the theory and practice of effective storytelling and reporting. His educational background, enriched by comprehensive journalistic courses, has equipped him with the skills to navigate the complex media landscape with integrity and insight. As a writer, Siphiwe's work spans various platforms and topics, showcasing his adaptability and commitment to journalistic excellence.","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/author\/simphiwe\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}