South Africa Court Orders Ballots Reprinted for ANC Candidates

The Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that the African National Congress (ANC) may appear on ballots in six municipalities for the November 4 municipal elections. The court overturned a previous Electoral Court decision, ordering the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to include 181 ward and proportional representation candidates who were initially excluded for failing to click a "submit as final" button on the online nomination portal by the August 28 deadline.

Justice Rammaka Mathopo delivered the majority order, accepting the ANC's argument that uploading candidate data before the deadline was sufficient. The court found that the delay in filing the party's answering affidavit was minimal and adequately explained. Consequently, the IEC must reprint ballots for Mangaung in the Free State, uMshwathi in KwaZulu-Natal, and Sundays River, Walter Sisulu, Ngquza Hill, and Port St John in the Eastern Cape.

IEC Chair Mosotho Moepya confirmed the commission would reprint the ballots with immediate effect, though he noted the ruling does not apply to over 2,000 candidates from 44 other parties who were excluded but did not challenge the decision. The ruling has strained the government of national unity; ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula suggested a review of the party's partnership with the Democratic Alliance (DA) after the DA opposed the appeal. The DA responded by stating it would defend the rule of law, with Federal Council Chairperson Ashor Sarupen warning that the judgment undermines the precedent of strict mechanical compliance with electoral deadlines.