JOHANNESBURG, Wednesday 14 October 2026 — The Constitutional Court will deliver judgment on Thursday, 15 October, in the African National Congress’s (ANC) challenge to the exclusion of 181 councillor candidates from the 4 November local government elections.
The announcement on Wednesday brings the party’s dispute with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) closer to a conclusion, with candidate nominations in six municipalities affected.
The court heard arguments on Monday before reserving judgment.
The ANC is challenging an Electoral Court ruling that upheld the IEC’s refusal to accept candidate lists that were not formally submitted before the 28 August deadline.
Six municipalities await court decision
The dispute concerns nominations in Ingquza Hill, Port St Johns, Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley in the Eastern Cape, uMshwathi in KwaZulu-Natal and Mangaung in the Free State.
The ANC maintains that it completed the necessary electronic forms and uploaded supporting documents before the nomination deadline.
However, the party did not complete the final confirmation step on the IEC’s online candidate nomination system.
The IEC argues that the nominations were incomplete because the party failed to select the system’s “Submit as Final” option before the deadline.
The ANC disputes whether that additional electronic step is expressly required by electoral legislation.
The Constitutional Court must determine whether the party’s actions satisfied the legal requirements for submitting candidates.
IEC says election preparations will continue
IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said on Wednesday that the commission would comply with the Constitutional Court’s decision.
Speaking during a briefing on preparations for the municipal elections, Mamabolo said the commission was not considering changing the election date.
The IEC is continuing preparations for voting on 4 November while awaiting the judgment.
A ruling in the ANC’s favour could require changes to the affected candidate lists and election arrangements.
However, the precise implications would depend on the court’s findings and any directions issued to the commission.
Judgment expected Thursday
The Democratic Alliance (DA), which intervened in the proceedings, has opposed the ANC’s application.
The party argues that allowing the disputed nominations could create complications for other political parties whose submissions were also incomplete.
The ANC maintains that it is not requesting an extension of the nomination deadline, but rather a declaration that its existing submissions complied with the law.
Thursday’s judgment will determine whether the affected candidates remain excluded or whether the IEC must take further steps concerning their participation.
The outcome will also provide clarity on the legal requirements governing electronic candidate nominations in municipal elections.
