The ANC is appealing to the Constitutional Court. The hearing was set for Wednesday 7 October (TimesLIVE and BusinessDay 3 Oct, Briefly), but EWN reported on 5 October that it had been pushed out by another week; the new date is not confirmed by a second outlet. EWN also reported that the IEC says it cannot hold elections in the affected municipalities if the matter is unresolved, and that deputy chief electoral officer Akhtari Henning swore an affidavit saying the case has little prospect of success. The IEC excluded the ANC's lists in at least six municipalities because the party did not click "submit as final" on the online system before the 17:00 deadline on 28 August. The Electoral Court dismissed the party's earlier appeal. The ANC says section 14 of the Municipal Electoral Act does not require the click and that software cannot override constitutional rights. About 181 candidates are affected. IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo has said the failure was the party's.
The ANC is the governing party, and candidate lists decide who can stand on 4 November. A ruling either way sets a precedent for how strictly deadlines are enforced.
If you live in one of the affected municipalities, your ballot may not carry an ANC list.
The ANC argues that voters should not lose a choice because of a software step the law does not mention.
The IEC and other parties argue that deadlines apply equally to all, including large parties with experienced administrators.
The question for the court is whether the "submit as final" step is a legal requirement or merely an IT feature. Watch the timing as much as the outcome, because the election timetable leaves little room for changes. DailyDrop will report the ruling when it is reported by two outlets.
TimesLIVE, BusinessDay (3 Oct), Briefly, EWN (Sep-Oct 2026)
ANC takes its fight to field 181 candidates to the Constitutional Court, but the hearing date has slipped
The party says a missed "submit as final" click was a software step, not a legal requirement. The IEC says the lists were never lodged in time.
The African National Congress has asked the Constitutional Court to let it contest several municipalities in the 4 November elections, after the Electoral Court rejected its appeal, according to TimesLIVE, BusinessDay, Briefly and EWN. The hearing had been set for Wednesday 7 October, but EWN reported on Monday that it had been pushed out by another week, which points to Monday 12 October; DailyDrop has that date from one outlet only and advises checking the court roll. The dispute turns on the 28 August deadline: the Electoral Commission of South Africa says the ANC did not press "submit as final" on the online nomination system before 17:00, so its candidate lists in at least six municipalities were never lodged. About 181 ANC candidates are affected.
In papers reported on Saturday, the ANC argues that section 14 of the Municipal Electoral Act does not require that click, which it calls a software function, and that the IEC's software cannot override constitutional rights. It also says its administrators could not complete the step before the deadline for reasons outside their control. The IEC's chief electoral officer, Sy Mamabolo, has said the exclusion follows from the party's own failure. DailyDrop has not seen the court's directions or an indication of when judgment will follow.