Listeners:
Top listeners:
play_arrow
Techno Radio Top Music Radio
play_arrow
London Calling Podcast Yana Bolder
The ANC’s performance in the November 4 local government elections could be negatively affected if its Constitutional Court challenge over its PR candidate lists fails, secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has warned.
The party is seeking to overturn an Electoral Court ruling that dismissed its challenge against the IEC over 181 candidates excluded from the elections.
The dispute affects candidates in six municipalities: Port St Johns, Ngquza Hill, Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley in the Eastern Cape, as well as uMshwathi in KwaZulu-Natal and Mangaung in the Free State.
Mbalula was speaking to the SABC on the sidelines of the ANC’s National Working Committee meeting in the Eastern Cape, where the party was engaging with its structures and communities as it prepares for the elections.
The Electoral Court dismissed the ANC’s appeal last month after finding that candidate information captured on the IEC’s online system before the August 28 deadline did not amount to formal submission because the final submission process had not been completed.
Mbalula said the ANC was hopeful of a favourable outcome at the Constitutional Court.
“Should it not be successful, of course it will have a negative impact, and that’s not what we are hoping for.
”We are putting forward a solid case, which we believe should have been settled long ago by the commission itself, without resorting to the courts,” he said.
The ANC believed the candidate information it had submitted should have been recognised.
“We are not asking anything before the courts that is not lawful. All we are asking for is that what was submitted must be recognised as delivered. That is the matter,” Mbalula said.
The candidate-list dispute comes as the ANC faces separate litigation in the Eastern Cape over the party’s internal processes.
IOL has reported that ANC members have also challenged the integrity of branch meetings held ahead of an interdicted provincial elective conference, with the KuGompo High Court ordering the party and Mbalula to hand over electronic membership data and branch attendance records.
Mbalula rejected suggestions that the legal disputes had left the ANC in a state of collapse in the province.
“We do have challenges that are normal like anywhere else, but they become unique in the Eastern Cape because of litigation, and the litigants have sort of been successful in terms of their litigation in the province.
”But we are dealing with those matters. The projection that there is almost a state of collapse and chaos in the province is far from the truth,” says Mbalula.
He said the party remained operational across the province, with its regions having held conferences and members campaigning on the ground.
“We are running a solid machinery here in the province, in terms of the regions and the structures of the organisation, dealing with matters and challenges of service delivery and meeting the deadlines of our local government elections,” he said.
Mbalula also addressed the ANC’s raw data, saying the party was processing a court order relating to the information.
“We have a court order before us and we are processing it. Therefore, there is nothing untoward that we are afraid of in terms of the raw data of the ANC,” he said.
IOL Politics
The Stormers will be keeping a close eye on Sharks lock Eben Etzebeth in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) derby in Cape Town after his display of flair and pace against Leinster.Like a true backline player, Etzebeth faked the rushing defence of former Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber, hit a gap and set off on a run that would have made the lock look like a 100m sprinter.After making plenty of […]
Magic 828 AM is a South African commercial radio station playing the best of hits from the 80s, 90s and 2000’s
Don’t miss a track or memorable tune. Download the Magic828 App now on your mobile phone by clicking here!
