Johannesburg – The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says it will reprint ballot papers where necessary to include 181 African National Congress (ANC) candidates after the Constitutional Court ruled that they must be allowed to contest the 4 November local government elections.
IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya welcomed the judgment, saying it had resolved uncertainty over the candidates’ participation and given the commission clarity on how to proceed with its election preparations.
“We must say we welcome the clarity and the certainty that this judgment has given to all of us. Before now, we had an issue that was unresolved. It is now in the past. We now need to move forward,” Moepya said.
He said the commission would implement the court order and include the affected candidates on the ballot.
“There is no hard feeling. There is certainty about what must be done, and that’s really what we need to do,” he said.
The Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that the IEC must take the necessary steps to include the ANC’s candidate lists and nominations after the party challenged the exclusion of 181 candidates from six municipalities.
The dispute arose after the ANC argued that a technical problem with the IEC’s online system had prevented its candidate submissions from being properly captured and processed, despite the party claiming it had met the deadline.
With about three weeks remaining before election day, the commission must now ensure that the ruling is implemented while completing preparations for the polls.
The IEC welcomes the Constitutional Court judgment setting aside the exclusion of 181 ANC candidates from the ballot paper. IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya says there are no hard feelings towards the ANC and the commission is happy that the apex court has provided clarity on the matter. @JuniourKhumalo_ reports.
Watch: https://t.co/WR1OJ1jPgv
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) October 15, 2026
Asked whether the ballot papers could be reprinted in time, Moepya said the IEC would focus on complying with the court’s order rather than speculate about possible further legal challenges.
He also addressed questions about other political parties whose candidates may have been excluded for similar reasons, saying the commission would respond to any further developments if they arose.
“We are not going to speculate about anything. We are going to do what the court has said,” he said.
Moepya noted that the court had dealt specifically with the ANC’s case and that the commission would follow the order as issued.
“If there are developments, the court will deal with those developments. They will let us know in the same way that we know today, and we’ll move forward,” he said.
The IEC chairperson said the ruling highlighted the importance of the commission carrying out its responsibilities in line with the law and the courts’ decisions.
The local government elections are scheduled for 4 November, with the IEC continuing its preparations following the judgment.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
