Cartoon of the day: 7 September 2026
Has the ANC thrown its secretary-general Fikile Mbalula under the bus?
On 7th September 2026, questions were swirling around the blame for the ANC's mishandling of its election candidate list submission. The party secretary general, Fikile Mbalula, seemed to be the target of criticism. The party's failure to submit all candidate names for the upcoming local government elections was attributed to a possible technical glitch. Opposition parties cautioned against the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) granting the ANC any special treatment.
During a campaign event in Ekurhuleni, President Ramaphosa addressed the concerns. He clarified that the ANC was not the sole party grappling with the reported technical difficulties. "This is not only affecting the ANC. I'm told a number of other parties were affected as well," Ramaphosa stated. He emphasized that technical glitches should not prevent citizens from exercising their democratic right to vote for their preferred candidates.
Discussions were underway between the IEC, political parties, and the Political Party Liaison Committee to find a resolution. Ramaphosa expressed confidence that a solution would soon be found, suggesting that the Political Party Liaison Committee, the IEC, and the affected parties would find a way forward. He also hinted at the possibility of legal action, including approaching the Electoral Court.
Ramaphosa assured that a specialist court dealing with such disputes would be able to provide certainty on the matter.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
