ANC risks being locked out of municipal races as IEC stands firm on deadline

“Whereas the candidate nomination period officially began on Proclamation Day on 7 August 2026, the Commission opened the candidate nomination system earlier on 21st June 2026 to ensure sufficient and uninterrupted use of the system ahead of the deadline by contestants.”However, the IEC clarified that it has not allowed any party, nor does it intend to allow any party or independent candidate, an additional opportunity to capture beyond the close of the candidate nomination deadline.

ANC questioned The IEC also clarified that the Online Candidate Nomination System remained available to users throughout the nomination process, including the cut-off date, and questioned why the ANC waited until the last minute to submit its candidate lists on the IEC’s online system.