ANC’s Andile Lungisa takes Mbalula to court over mayoral list omission

ANC National Executive Committee member Andile Lungisa has reportedly taken party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula to court after his name was omitted from the ANC’s candidate list for Nelson Mandela Bay.

The legal challenge adds to mounting pressure on the ANC over its handling of candidate lists ahead of the November 4 local government elections.

Lungisa had been identified as one of the ANC’s mayoral prospects for Nelson Mandela Bay but was among several prominent party figures whose names did not appear on the proportional representation lists submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).

According to court papers reported on Friday, Lungisa is seeking an order declaring his removal from the ANC’s Nelson Mandela Bay proportional representation list unlawful, invalid and unconstitutional, and wants his name reinstated.

Mbalula has been cited as a respondent in the matter in his capacity as the ANC official responsible for the party’s candidate lists and correspondence with the IEC.

The development comes amid a wider ANC candidate-list crisis, after the party failed to formally submit some candidates by the IEC’s August 28 deadline.

The ANC has attributed the omissions to a technical difficulty, while the IEC has disputed the party’s explanation. Mbalula has maintained that some affected candidates had been captured on the IEC’s system but were not formally submitted.

Lungisa’s omission has been particularly significant because he had been shortlisted as one of the ANC’s candidates for the Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral position.

He previously maintained that he remained the ANC’s mayoral candidate, saying he had been voted number one on the party’s Nelson Mandela Bay list during its internal processes.

The dispute comes as Mbalula faces growing criticism from within the ANC over the candidate-list debacle.

TimesLIVE reported that several ANC NEC members had called for Mbalula to be held accountable, while the party faces the possibility of losing municipalities if candidates who were supposed to contest are excluded from the final lists.

Mbalula has acknowledged that some mayoral candidates were left off the lists due to an error and said the issue would be resolved, arguing that those nominated by the ANC’s top leadership would ultimately be included.

The ANC has separately approached the Electoral Court over the broader candidate-list dispute, asking that candidates whose details were captured on the IEC system before the deadline be recognised as having been properly submitted.