By Zuko Komisa

- The Democratic Alliance (DA) has applied to intervene in the ANC’s Electoral Court bid to submit late candidate lists.
- The DA argues election deadlines apply equally to all parties, having successfully registered candidates across all 257 municipalities on time.
- The court application demands strict adherence to the 28 August deadline to ensure a free and fair electoral process.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has lodged papers with the Electoral Court seeking leave to intervene in the African National Congress’s (ANC) legal attempt to field candidates across six municipalities.
The ANC failed to submit its candidate lists before the official deadline of 17:00 on 28 August, prompting the DA’s action to ensure the Electoral Commission’s (IEC) rules are upheld uniformly.
The DA confirmed it successfully finalized and submitted its candidates across all 257 municipalities nationwide within the prescribed window, emphasizing that capturing details on the IEC system without finalizing the submission does not constitute compliance.
“Our courts have repeatedly required ‘rigid adherence’ to election deadlines because equal rules are essential to free and fair elections.”
The opposition party maintains that granting relief to the ANC would amount to unearned special treatment, undermining the integrity of the election.
The DA insists that established legal precedents demand strict enforcement of deadlines to guarantee equal conditions for all competing political organizations.
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