ANC Election List Row: Lulama Ngcukayitobi Threatens to Take Fikile Mbalula to Court
- Eastern Cape ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi gave Mbalula until noon on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, to retract statements or face court
- Mbalula's report allegedly accused Ngcukayitobi of submitting the Eastern Cape candidate list just 29 minutes before the deadline
- Ngcukayitobi's lawyers fired back with their own claims, pointing the finger at Mbalula over the candidate-list crisis
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SOUTH AFRICA — The ANC's internal conflict over its botched candidate-list submissions has taken a legal turn, with Eastern Cape provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi instructing his lawyers to threaten ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula with a defamation lawsuit.
Ngcukayitobi's legal representatives have given Mbalula until noon on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, to retract statements made about his client's role in the candidate-list crisis and to issue a formal apology. Should Mbalula fail to comply, the lawyers indicated they would proceed with legal action. Mbalula was approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.
Mbalula report at the centre of the dispute
The standoff stems from a report compiled by Mbalula on the ANC's candidate-list failures, which was reported on by the Sunday Times. The report allegedly found that Ngcukayitobi submitted the Eastern Cape's final candidate list to the party's operations centre just 29 minutes before the 5pm deadline on 28 August. Mbalula's report reportedly identified this late submission as a central reason the ANC failed to register candidates in four Eastern Cape municipalities.
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The report also allegedly raised concerns that Ngcukayitobi had altered the list without authorisation, removing certain names and adding others that had not received approval from the ANC's National Executive Committee. Ngcukayitobi's lawyers rejected these allegations outright, characterising them as both false and defamatory, and accused Mbalula of implying their client had acted negligently or violated ANC processes.
Ngcukayitobi turns the tables on Mbalula
The legal letter reportedly countered with allegations of its own, claiming that Mbalula had personally instructed the removal of former Nelson Mandela Bay politician Andile Lungisa from the proportional representation list. Ngcukayitobi's lawyers maintained that their client bore no responsibility for changes made to the candidate lists, and further alleged that decisions relating to the ANC's Eastern Cape provincial task team contributed directly to the crisis. These are allegations contained in the lawyers' letter and have not been tested or established in court.
Electoral court rejects ANC's bid over 181 candidates
The internal dispute unfolds against the backdrop of a significant legal setback for the party. The Electoral Court on Wednesday dismissed the ANC's challenge over 181 candidates who were excluded from the 4 November local government elections across six municipalities. The affected areas include four in the Eastern Cape — Sundays River Valley, Walter Sisulu, Ingquza Hill and Port St Johns — along with uMshwathi in KwaZulu-Natal and Mangaung in the Free State.
ANC says glitches were the cause of the delay
Briefly News previously reported that the ANC argued that technical difficulties with the IEC's online system prevented it from completing the submission process in time. The court, however, found that the party had not completed the final electronic submission step before the deadline closed. The ANC has stated it intends to pursue further legal avenues.
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Source: Briefly News
