Politics · Other · 10 hrs ago
ANC argues IEC confirmation button was not required for nominations
The ANC is asking South Africa’s Constitutional Court to accept its candidates for six municipalities.
The municipalities are in the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
The party says it completed the nomination forms, uploaded supporting documents and paid the required fees before the 28 August deadline.
It argues that the IEC already had details for 181 candidates and that clicking “Submit as Final” was not required by election law.
The IEC says saving information did not count as a formal submission and that its online system worked properly.
The court is considering whether the ANC complied with the rules, which the commission says must be applied consistently to protect the election process.
The story says the local government elections are due on 4 November, but does not give a ruling or say what happens next.
The ANC told the Constitutional Court that clicking the IEC’s “Submit as Final” button was not a legal requirement for candidate nominations.
The party argued that it completed electronic nomination forms and uploaded required annexures before the 5pm deadline on 28 August.
The ANC said the IEC already had details for 181 candidates across six municipalities before the deadline.
The IEC disputed the ANC’s account, saying its portal worked properly and saved information did not amount to a formal submission.
The ANC is asking the IEC to accept the candidates whose details were uploaded, not to reopen the nomination period.
- Who
- The ANC and the Electoral Commission of South Africa are disputing the status of the party’s candidate nominations.
- What
- The ANC argues that the “Submit as Final” button was not a legal requirement; the IEC says saved information did not constitute formal submission.
- When
- The nomination deadline was 5pm on 28 August. The article was published on 12 October 2026.
- Where
- The dispute is before the Constitutional Court and concerns six municipalities in the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
- Why
- The ANC says it uploaded candidate forms and annexures before the deadline but technical glitches prevented final confirmation. The IEC says deadlines must be applied consistently.
ANC
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)
Legal status of “Submit as Final
ANC
The button was not required by any act or regulation and should not be treated as a legal requirement.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)
Saving information on the portal did not constitute a formal submission.
Portal and nominations
ANC
The ANC says technical glitches prevented final confirmation, although candidate details and annexures were uploaded before the deadline.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)
The IEC says its online nomination portal functioned properly.
The deadline passed for candidate nominations, which the ANC says it had met by completing forms and uploading annexures.
The ANC argued before the Constitutional Court that the “Submit as Final” button was not legally required.
The local government elections were scheduled to take place.
- Candidates
- 181 candidates
- Municipalities affected
- Six
- Nomination deadline
- 5pm on 28 August
- Eastern Cape municipalities
- Port St Johns, Ngquza Hill, Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley
- Other municipalities
- Mangaung in the Free State; uMshwathi in KwaZulu-Natal
- Election date
- 4 November
What people are saying
The requirement for the button appears in no act and in no regulations. It appears only on a screen and in the manual of the OCNS
The ANC asks for no indulgence and no special treatment. Contrary to what the Commission and the [Democratic Alliance] say in their affidavit, the ANC seeks no condonation, no extra time, nor to place any extra information before the Commission
Sources
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