ANC treasurer-general Gwen Ramokgopa has addressed the party's IEC list crisis, stating that Andile Lungisa is not the only person whose name did not make it onto the list. Ramokgopa revealed that one of the party's mayoral candidates in Johannesburg, Frank Chikane, also did not make it onto the list, and that one or two people in Tshwane were facing the same issue.
Ramokgopa drew from her own experience, recalling that her name only made it onto the IEC lists under the ANC after the elections when she was the mayor of the City of Tshwane. She described it as a situation that the party manages all the time. Ramokgopa's comments come after Lungisa filed urgent court papers in the Johannesburg High Court challenging his removal from the party's mayoral candidates list before the local government elections.
According to Lungisa's court papers, he had been placed at the top of the list and confirmed his position as the highest-placed person for the Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral post. However, he claimed that ANC functionaries removed his name from the list following a personal instruction from party secretary-general Mbalula. Lungisa is seeking a court order declaring that his name was indeed on the list and was improperly removed.
Ramokgopa advised Lungisa to have approached party officials instead of rushing to court, stating that it is not only his situation where the name of the candidate who was unveiled did not make it onto the ballot. She emphasized that the party's commitment is to finalize the names and have access to the PR lists, and then add those who make it and were not on the PR list after the elections.
An ANC source close to the matter stated that Lungisa's situation could easily be resolved, and that there was no need for the court action against Mbalula. The source noted that the IEC would allow for changes before the council is constituted, and that Lungisa could be placed as number one on the list.
Ramokgopa also commented on the court battle between Mbalula and NEC member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, describing it as painful. The matter, which involves Mbalula demanding that Dlamini-Zuma retract her statements that he dished out money to delegates at the party's 2022 national conference, is currently before the court with judgment reserved.
Ramokgopa urged party members to exhaust internal processes instead of resorting to court action, and weighed in on calls for Mbalula's removal following the party's failure to submit 181 councillor candidates to the IEC across provinces. The Electoral Court recently dismissed the ANC's case relating to a dispute over the submission of councillor candidate lists to the IEC, and Mbalula's detractors have called for a special NEC meeting to deal with him.
Key points
- Ramokgopa says Andile Lungisa's situation is not unique.
- The party has managed similar issues before, according to Ramokgopa.
- The IEC will allow for changes before the council is constituted.
