SOUTH AFRICA · ELECTIONS
Key Facts
- —What is happening South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday, 15 October, that the Electoral Commission must put 181 ANC candidates back on ballots in six municipalities for the 4 November local elections.
- —Why it matters The largest governing party had been shut out over a missed online submit step, and the ruling restores it in the Mangaung metro and five other councils in the first nationwide vote since 2024.
- —The numbers The order covers 181 ANC candidates in six of 257 municipalities, while 2,274 candidates from more than 40 parties were excluded for the same missed step and more than 66% of 79 million ballots are already printed.
- —Who is who The ANC, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, governs nationally with the Democratic Alliance, which backed the independent Electoral Commission in court; Justice Rammaka Mathopo read the Constitutional Court’s majority order.
- —What to watch The court’s written reasons, how the commission adds the lists before ballot production ends on Sunday, 18 October, whether other excluded parties seek the same relief, and the ANC’s call to review the DA’s coalition role.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket gives DA candidate Werner Pretorius about a 29% chance of becoming Mangaung’s next mayor and ANC councillor Gregory Nthatisi about 12% (15 October, 8:12 a.m. ET).
- —What it means for you US investors in South African bonds and Johannesburg-listed shares follow the national coalition’s stability, and after the ruling the ANC’s secretary general called for a review of the DA’s place in it.
South Africa’s Constitutional Court on Thursday ordered the Electoral Commission to put 181 ANC candidates back on the ballot. The ruling covers six municipalities, including the Mangaung metro, less than three weeks before the 4 November local elections.
South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday, 15 October, that 181 excluded ANC candidates must appear on the ballot. Justice Rammaka Mathopo said the court had concluded by majority that the party’s appeal must be upheld, News24 and Business Day reported.
The order forces the Electoral Commission to add the African National Congress (ANC) lists while ballot printing is under way. For foreign investors, it shows how the country’s courts settle a dispute involving the largest governing party.
What the Court Ordered
The court set aside the commission’s refusal to accept the ANC’s lists and ward nominations in six municipalities, News24 and EWN reported. It directed the commission to do all things necessary to include them on the ballot for the 4 November elections.
Four of the six councils are in the Eastern Cape: Sundays River Valley, Walter Sisulu, Ngquza Hill and Port St Johns. The other two are uMshwathi in KwaZulu-Natal and Mangaung, the metro around Bloemfontein in the Free State.
Justice Mathopo said the court’s reasons would be handed down later, both News24 and Business Day reported. The court had heard argument on Monday, 12 October, according to its own hearing list.
Acting Justice Annali Basson and Justice Kate Savage dissented, News24 and EWN reported. The court has not yet said which of the ANC’s arguments the majority accepted.
Fikile Mbalula, the ANC’s secretary general, thanked party structures for backing the challenge, EWN reported. He said the court had upheld the sanctity of the right to vote.
Mbalula also said the ANC must now review the DA’s place in the national coalition, because the DA opposed the case. News24, Business Day and Daily Maverick reported the remarks, which he made to journalists after the ruling.
DA federal council chairperson Ashor Sarupen said the DA respects the judgment but is concerned about the precedent it sets for deadlines. He called Mbalula’s remarks threats and said the DA was not in the coalition just to get along.
Why the ANC Candidates Were Excluded
The dispute began when the ANC failed to press the “submit as final” button in the commission’s online nomination system. The party had uploaded its candidate details and paid deposits before the 17:00 deadline on Friday, 28 August, News24 reported.
The commission, backed by the Democratic Alliance (DA), argued that uploading without final submission is not a nomination in law. It said in its court papers that the ANC knew the rule and had followed it in the vast majority of municipalities.
The ANC argued that the regulations require only two acts: completing the electronic forms and uploading supporting documents. It said the button appears in no act, regulation, gazette notice or election timetable.
The Electoral Court, a specialist court for election disputes, sided with the commission in September. The ANC then appealed directly to the Constitutional Court, arguing in its papers that there was no time for two appeals.
A Ruling Other Parties Will Study
The ANC’s court papers say the commission excluded 2,274 candidates from 45 parties that had uploaded but not finally submitted. Business Day also gave the 2,274 figure, and said about 181 of those candidates belonged to the ANC.
DA counsel Michael Bishop told Monday’s hearing that any such rule must then cover every party, EWN and Daily Maverick reported. Both outlets said on Thursday it remained unclear what the ruling means for other parties in the same position.
What the Ruling Means for the 4 November Vote
The commission said on Wednesday that more than 66% of the 79 million ballots for the elections had already been printed. It expected production to conclude by Sunday, 18 October, with special voting on 2 and 3 November.
EWN reported that the commission must now add the 181 ANC candidates to ballots in the six municipalities. In a brief statement quoted by EWN, the commission urged parties to cooperate and said election preparations remain a priority.
The vote fills 10,526 council seats across 257 municipalities, with a record 136,790 certified candidates. It is the first nationwide test since the ANC lost its parliamentary majority in May 2024.
Who Is Who
The African National Congress has governed South Africa since 1994 and is led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. It lost its majority in 2024 and now leads a national coalition with the Democratic Alliance and other parties.
The Democratic Alliance, led by Geordin Hill-Lewis since April, is the second-largest party and the ANC’s main coalition partner. Its candidate for mayor of Mangaung is Werner Pretorius, who has pledged to fix the city’s finances and services.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa is the independent constitutional body that runs elections. The Constitutional Court, which sits in Johannesburg, is the country’s highest court, and Justice Mathopo is one of its judges.
The parties and metros in the race are explained in the guide to South Africa’s 4 November local elections. The wider balance of power is set out in South Africa’s key political players and who runs South Africa in 2026.
What It Means for US Readers
South Africa is the most industrialised economy in Africa, and many US companies operate there. US holders of South African bonds and Johannesburg-listed shares follow the stability of the national coalition closely.
The ruling puts the coalition’s largest party back on ballots, and it was followed by a public clash with its main partner. The ANC argued no court had yet ruled on what an electronic nomination requires, a question for election offices everywhere.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket runs a market on the next mayor of Mangaung, with about US$48,500 bet so far. At 8:12 a.m. ET on Thursday, it gave DA candidate Werner Pretorius about a 29% chance.
Gregory Nthatisi, an ANC councillor who became acting mayor in 2023, rose from about 5% before the ruling to about 12%. The gap between bids and offers on his contract is wide, so that price can swing sharply.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
The court has not published its reasons, so it is not known which arguments carried the majority. It is not known how the commission will add the lists to ballots already printed, or at what cost.
It is also unclear whether any of the other parties with unsubmitted candidates will now ask for the same relief. The written order itself was not yet available on the court’s website by midday on Thursday.
What Comes Next
The commission must now fit the ANC’s lists into ballot production, which it expected to finish by Sunday, 18 October. Special voting is set for 2 and 3 November, and polling day is Wednesday, 4 November.
The ruling does not decide who wins in any of the six councils. After the vote, Mangaung’s new council will elect the metro’s next mayor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did South Africa’s Constitutional Court decide?
It set aside the Electoral Commission’s refusal to accept the ANC’s lists in six municipalities. It ordered the commission to do all things necessary to put them on the ballot for 4 November.
Why were the ANC candidates excluded?
The ANC uploaded candidate details but did not press the final submit button before the 28 August deadline. The commission and the Electoral Court treated that as no valid nomination.
Which municipalities are affected?
They are Sundays River Valley, Walter Sisulu, Ngquza Hill, Port St Johns, uMshwathi and the Mangaung metro around Bloemfontein. Four are in the Eastern Cape, one is in KwaZulu-Natal and Mangaung is in the Free State.
When are South Africa’s local elections?
Polling day is Wednesday, 4 November 2026, with special voting on 2 and 3 November. Voters will fill 10,526 council seats across 257 municipalities.
Why does this matter to US readers?
South Africa is Africa’s most industrialised economy, and the vote is the first nationwide test of its coalition government. US investors in South African bonds and shares follow that coalition’s stability closely.
Sources: Constitutional Court of South Africa, case record and written arguments, ANC v Electoral Commission and Another; Electoral Commission of South Africa (14 October); Electoral Commission of South Africa (16 September); News24 (15 October); Business Day (15 October); Business Day (15 October); Daily Maverick (15 October);EWN (15 October); EWN (15 October); EWN (12 October); EWN (12 April); OFM (25 July); OFM (26 April 2023) (all accessed 15 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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