{
  "id": 7076049,
  "title": "Mbalula hits back at Andile Lungisa’s court challenge as ANC battles candidate-list fallout",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/mbalula-hits-back-at-andile-lungisas-court-challenge-as-anc-battles",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T07:25:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/elections/mbalula-andile-lungisa-anc-candidate-list/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has responded to National Executive Committee member Andile Lungisa's court challenge over his exclusion from the party's candidate list. Lungisa has taken the matter to the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, alleging that Mbalula personally instructed his name be removed from the ANC's proportional representative (PR) councillor list for Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality ahead of the 2026 local government elections. Mbalula stated that he could not comment on the allegations further, as the matter was now being dealt with through the courts. He suggested that Lungisa should have approached him directly instead of resorting to legal action. The ANC is currently facing legal challenges from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) over its failure to submit complete candidate lists by the 28 August deadline.",
  "summary": "'He must have written as a person, not through lawyers, to me, and raise his concerns,' the ANC official said.",
  "key_points": [
    "ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula responds to Andile Lungisa's court challenge.",
    "Lungisa alleges Mbalula personally instructed his removal from ANC's PR councillor list.",
    "ANC faces legal challenges from IEC over incomplete candidate lists."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Mbalula's response signals a more confrontational approach within the ANC, as internal disputes spill into the courts amid party turmoil over candidate list exclusions.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}