JOHANNESBURG, Thursday 15 October 2026 — African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has called for a review of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) participation in the Government of National Unity (GNU), following the Constitutional Court’s decision to reinstate 181 ANC candidates ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
Speaking outside the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg on Thursday, Mbalula questioned whether the ANC should continue its governing partnership with the DA after the party opposed the ANC’s application to have its excluded candidates reinstated.
The remarks introduce renewed uncertainty into relations between the two largest parties in the GNU, although no formal decision to remove the DA from the governing arrangement has been announced.
Mbalula questions DA’s place in GNU
Mbalula said the ANC needed to reconsider its relationship with the DA following the legal dispute over candidate nominations.
“The ANC must review the DA in the Government of National Unity,” he said.
The ANC secretary-general questioned whether the DA’s conduct during the court proceedings was consistent with the principles governing cooperation between parties in the GNU.
He suggested that the ANC should consider alternative governing partners if the existing arrangement no longer operated in accordance with its agreed principles.
Mbalula maintained that the issue was not whether the DA should agree with the ANC on every political matter, but whether the parties remained committed to the principles underpinning their cooperation.
He also indicated that the ANC was not permanently bound to its current governing partners.
Dispute follows Constitutional Court ruling
Mbalula’s comments followed a Constitutional Court ruling overturning the exclusion of 181 ANC councillor candidates from the upcoming municipal elections.
The affected nominations concern six municipalities across the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State, including Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) had rejected the nominations after the ANC failed to complete the final electronic submission process before the prescribed deadline.
The ANC challenged the decision, arguing that it had uploaded the required candidate information before the deadline and that the additional electronic confirmation step should not invalidate those nominations.
The Electoral Court initially upheld the IEC’s position.
However, the Constitutional Court overturned that decision on Thursday and ordered the commission to take the necessary steps to include the affected candidates in the electoral process.
The court indicated that its full reasons would follow.
DA opposed ANC’s legal challenge
The DA intervened in the proceedings in support of the IEC’s position.
The party argued that the ANC had failed to comply with the nomination requirements and that electoral rules should be applied consistently to all political parties.
During the proceedings, DA legal representative Advocate Michael Bishop warned that allowing the ANC’s nominations could have wider implications for other parties whose candidate submissions had not been finalised.
He argued that more than 2,000 candidates from other political parties were potentially affected by similar submission difficulties.
The DA maintained that the case raised important questions about electoral deadlines, administrative certainty and the equal application of the law.
Mbalula criticised the party’s position, arguing that the dispute concerned the constitutional rights of voters rather than an administrative technicality.
He maintained that the ANC had pursued its challenge through lawful judicial processes.
DA defends its position
Following the Constitutional Court’s decision, DA Federal Council Chairperson Ashor Sarupen expressed concern about the implications of the ruling for future electoral processes.
Sarupen said the judgment raised questions about compliance with the IEC’s nomination deadlines and requirements.
He maintained that the DA would continue defending the rule of law and the equal application of electoral legislation.
The DA also reaffirmed that its participation in the GNU did not require it to agree with the ANC on every issue.
The party has not announced any intention to withdraw from the GNU following Thursday’s judgment.
Renewed tensions between governing partners
The ANC and DA entered the Government of National Unity after the 2024 national elections, when the ANC lost its outright parliamentary majority for the first time since 1994.
The arrangement brought together parties with different political and economic positions under a shared framework for national governance.
However, disagreements between the ANC and DA have repeatedly tested the relationship.
Previous disputes have included the national budget, proposed tax increases, education legislation, healthcare policy and aspects of South Africa’s foreign relations.
The parties have nevertheless continued participating in the national executive.
Mbalula has previously questioned the DA’s commitment to the GNU during disagreements over government policy.
Thursday’s remarks introduce another source of tension, this time arising from litigation involving the parties’ competing interests ahead of the municipal elections.
No formal coalition decision announced
Although Mbalula called for the DA’s participation to be reviewed, there has been no announcement of a formal ANC National Executive Committee decision to restructure the GNU.
No negotiations with alternative governing partners have been confirmed in connection with Thursday’s remarks.
Any changes to the national governing arrangement would require political decisions and could have implications for the composition of the executive and cooperation between parties in Parliament.
For now, the ANC and DA remain partners in the GNU while contesting the municipal elections as political opponents.
The next development will depend on whether the ANC formally considers Mbalula’s proposal and whether the two parties engage over the implications of the Constitutional Court dispute for their continued cooperation.
