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The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) has rejected claims that a system failure hampered the ANC’s submission of candidates for the 2026 local government elections, as it disclosed that more than 140,000 candidates had been nominated to contest about 10,500 council seats.IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the commission’s reports showed no evidence of a malfunction in its candidate nomination system on the deadline day, despite the ANC’s claiming it was unable to complete its submissions because of a “systemic challenge”.“On our end, we can confirm that we don’t have reports of a nonfunctional system on the day,” Mamabolo said.He said the commission could not rule out problems elsewhere on the broader internet and electricity ecosystem, which may have affected users trying to access the system.“The internet is an ecosystem and there are a number of variables that may impact the operation of an internet-based application. It may be volume, throughput, bandwidth; it can even be an electrical energy source in the broad ecosystem of the internet,” he said.But Mamabolo stressed that the IEC’s own systems were operational.The commission had also opened its candidate nomination system on June 21, well before the election date was proclaimed, giving political parties ample time to capture their nominations.“Parties could have exercised capturing options from then,” he said.MK legal challengeThe dispute over the reliability of the IEC’s technology comes as the commission prepares for one of its biggest logistical exercises ahead of the November 4 local government elections.Mamabolo pointed to a legal challenge brought by the MK Party over the outcome of the 2024 national and provincial elections, which included allegations concerning the IEC’s systems.The matter was argued before the Electoral Court on June 17, with judgment reserved.“We are eager for the court to speak on the matter because it is important that the air is clear in relation to those allegations that were made against the commission,” Mamabolo said.Results systemMeanwhile, the IEC has completed enhancements to its results system and is finalising the framework for transferring election results into a central data warehouse before they are displayed at results centres and through platforms including its website and mobile application.The system is undergoing external testing, including cybersecurity assessments.Mamabolo said political parties would be invited to conduct their own audits once the external audit had been completed.“We need assurance about the technical robustness of the system,” he said.The scale of this year’s contest is already clear, with more than 140,000 candidate names submitted to contest approximately 10,500 council seats. The IEC will now scrutinise the nominations to ensure candidates and political parties comply with the law.This includes checking whether candidates have completed and signed their acceptance of nomination forms, whether the required deposits have been paid and, in the case of independent candidates, whether they have submitted the required details of registered voters supporting their candidatures.The commission has set aside September 4-16 to deal with discrepancies arising from the nominations.Mamabolo cautioned political parties against viewing this period as an extension of the nomination deadline.“It is really just a period to deal with those that have been nominated by multiple parties. It is not an opportunity to change the nominations made,” he said.He said the rules were strict once the deadline had passed. “Once the cut-off time has come, even in the event of death, there is no opportunity to replace or change the candidate.”TimesLIVE
