GQEBERHA, Sunday 11 October 2026 — Disgruntled African National Congress (ANC) branches in several Eastern Cape municipalities have reportedly prevented senior national party leaders from addressing meetings, demanding accountability for failures to register candidates ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
The confrontations took place during visits by members of the ANC’s national working committee to affected regions, according to a Sunday Times investigation published on Sunday.
Branch members in Ingquza Hill, Port St Johns and Nelson Mandela Bay reportedly demanded action against ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and assurances that excluded candidates would be restored to the electoral lists.
The developments highlight growing tensions within the party as it approaches municipal elections in areas where administrative failures have threatened its ability to contest council seats.
Senior ANC leaders reportedly turned away
According to the Sunday Times, several senior ANC representatives were prevented from addressing branch meetings during visits to the Eastern Cape.
Those affected reportedly included Defence Minister Angie Motshekga in Ingquza Hill, Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane in Nelson Mandela Bay, and National Assembly chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli and Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams stin Port St Johns.
Former deputy minister Mduduzi Manana was also reportedly prevented from entering a meeting venue in the Chris Hani district.
Party sources told the newspaper that members refused to proceed with meetings unless national leaders addressed their demands concerning Mbalula and the missing candidate submissions.
The accounts were attributed to several national and regional ANC figures.
Mbalula faces calls for disciplinary action
The reported protests centre on the ANC’s failure to complete candidate submissions before the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s August deadline.
Some branch members have called for Mbalula to be suspended or subjected to disciplinary proceedings.
According to the Sunday Times, Mbalula also cancelled a planned engagement with Nelson Mandela Bay branches after receiving warnings about the reception he could face.
A senior ANC source told the newspaper that the party could not remove its secretary-general without following internal disciplinary procedures.
The source said an investigation into the candidate-list failures would need to be considered before decisions were taken.
No formal suspension or disciplinary finding against Mbalula has been announced.
Candidate-list dispute threatens election participation
The ANC’s difficulties arose after it failed to complete the submission process for candidates in several municipalities.
The party maintains that candidate information had been captured on the IEC’s electronic system before the deadline, but the final submission process was not completed.
The IEC rejected the party’s attempt to have the affected candidates accepted after the deadline.
The ANC subsequently challenged the decision in the Electoral Court before approaching the Constitutional Court.
The dispute affects approximately 180 candidates across several municipalities, including areas where the ANC has traditionally enjoyed substantial electoral support.
Ingquza Hill is particularly affected, with the party having failed to submit candidates for either ward or proportional representation seats.
Internal tensions increase before municipal elections
The reported confrontations place additional pressure on the ANC’s national leadership as campaigning intensifies.
The Eastern Cape remains an important province for the party, but candidate-registration failures have created opportunities for opposition parties.
The Democratic Alliance has already identified several affected municipalities as potential electoral opportunities.
Internal disagreements could further complicate the ANC’s campaign organisation, particularly where local branches remain dissatisfied with candidate selection and registration processes.
The ANC must also manage the dispute while awaiting the outcome of its legal challenge.
Next steps
The Constitutional Court proceedings will be central to determining whether the affected candidates can participate in the elections.
Separately, the ANC faces decisions about accountability for the administrative failures and how to restore cooperation between national leaders and local branches.
No disciplinary action against Mbalula or dissolution of the affected party structures has been confirmed.
With the elections approaching, the party’s immediate challenge is to resolve its internal disputes while preparing to contest the municipalities where its candidate lists remain valid.
