South Africa’s (SA) Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of the governing African National Congress (ANC), ordering the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to reinstate the party’s disqualified candidates onto the official ballot papers for the upcoming November local government elections.
The ruling setting aside the IEC’s earlier disqualification affecting 181 candidate councillors across six municipalities follows an urgent legal challenge by the ruling party. In its decision, the apex court upheld arguments presented by ANC legal representative Advocate Daniel Berger, who submitted that the party had satisfied all statutory requirements by uploading required documents and paying registration deposits before the official deadline.
The court agreed that the IEC’s digital “Submit as Final” button was a software function rather than a legal requirement defined in electoral legislation, finding that administrative portal issues should not disenfranchise candidates or voters. The ruling clears the way for the affected candidates to contest their respective municipal wards in the November vote.
–ChannelAfrica/SABC–
