JOHANNESBURG - The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has rejected claims that the African National Congress (ANC) was given extra time to submit its candidate lists for the 2026 local government elections.
The deadline for candidate nominations closed at 5pm on Friday, with the IEC stating that no political party or independent candidate was granted a grace period after the cut-off.
The clarification follows an ANC statement citing technical difficulties with the IEC’s online candidate nomination system.
The ANC said some of its candidate entries were still being finalised in consultation with the commission.
The party added that, on Friday, the IEC’s candidate-capture system experienced technical issues that affected a number of contesting parties.
“The ANC will not conduct this matter in the media while the Commission is doing its work,” the party’s statement read.
However, the IEC said its online nomination system remained available throughout the process and that all parties and independent candidates were subject to the same deadline.
The commission is expected to brief political parties on the outcome of the nomination process on Wednesday.
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