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The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has refuted claims by the ANC that a technical glitch in its system prevented the party from completing the submission of councillor candidates for the 2026 local government elections.In a statement on Monday, the ANC claimed that the glitch had affected its ability to complete its submissions and that it was in discussions with the IEC to secure a grace period to finalise the process.But the IEC on Tuesday rejected both claims, saying its system operated without any problems until the 5pm deadline on Friday.The commission also said it had neither agreed to nor planned to grant any political party additional time to complete its submissions.“The commission wishes to clarify that it has not allowed any party, nor does it intend to allow any party or independent candidate an additional capturing opportunity beyond the close of candidate nomination on Friday, 28 August 2026 at 17h00,” the IEC said.“The commission further wishes to clarify that the Online Candidate Nomination System remained available to users throughout the nomination process, including the cut-off date.”The IEC said any issues relating to the candidate nomination process would be ventilated through the National Political Liaison Committee, which comprises all parties represented in the National Assembly.Though the candidate nomination period officially began on proclamation day on August 7, the IEC said it had opened the candidate nomination system as early as June 21 to ensure contestants had sufficient time to use the system ahead of the deadline.The commission’s position means the ANC may not be able to supplement or finalise outstanding candidate submissions in affected municipalities.The ANC’s statement on Monday had placed its failure to complete some submissions squarely at the door of the IEC, suggesting that the matter was being addressed with the commission and that the outstanding entries could still be finalised.“On the day of lodgement, the commission’s candidate-capture system experienced technical issues that affected a number of contesting parties. As a result, a small number of the movement’s entries are being finalised together with the commission. This is a technical and administrative matter, and it is being handled through the commission’s established processes,” ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said.“The African National Congress has full confidence in the Electoral Commission and in the integrity of the electoral process. We commend the commission for its constructive engagement with all affected parties, and we are working with it to bring these outstanding matters to a close. We are confident they will be resolved.”The ANC’s statement came as a surprise after its secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, told Sunday Times at the weekend that the party had met the submission deadline and concluded submissions for all 257 municipalities.Sunday Times reported that Mbalula had dismissed claims that the ANC had missed the deadline, particularly in some Eastern Cape municipalities affected by legal and political disputes.“No, it’s not true. We submitted all our candidates and paid in advance,” Mbalula was quoted as saying.If the ANC has indeed missed the submission deadline in some wards or municipalities, it would be a repeat of the party’s experience in the 2021 local government elections, when it failed to submit candidate names for 20 municipalities and 598 wards.TimesLIVE
