Overview
- Lawyers for party member Lwazi Rotya have launched legal action and sent a formal letter to the ANC national office alleging systematic breaches of nomination rules across the Eastern Cape.
- The complaint says branch general meetings and required community meetings were skipped or not properly held, and that nominated names were removed from ward and proportional representation lists.
- Disputes are concentrated in the WB Rubusana area of Buffalo City and in Joe Gqabi, where branches have asked provincial bodies to halt list submissions and seek corrections.
- ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has acknowledged the ongoing litigation, and Rotya’s previous court wins earlier this year increase the odds that courts could order selections set aside.
- If courts void selections close to the final IEC submission window, the ANC could be forced to restart nominations, face missed deadlines, and suffer reputational and operational damage during the election campaign.