ANC drops Lungisa from candidate list after vetting
The party says vetting produced adverse findings; the politician is challenging his exclusion in court.
The ANC has explained why Andile Lungisa is not on the proportional-representation candidate list for South Africa’s local elections. According to the party, the internal screening produced adverse findings, while Lungisa is challenging his exclusion in court.
Lungisa is a member of the national executive committee of the African National Congress and was previously named as a candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay. South Africa’s local elections will be held on 4 November. The ANC’s proportional-representation list partly determines which candidates can take seats on municipal councils after the elections.
The party says the screening showed that Lungisa does not meet the criteria for candidates. The ANC has not made substantive details of the findings public and says it wants to deal with the matter behind closed doors.
Lungisa says he was initially a candidate on the Nelson Mandela Bay list. He has challenged the decision at the High Court in Johannesburg. According to SABC, the court has postponed its ruling until 12 October.
The case comes against the backdrop of broader problems surrounding the ANC’s candidate selection. In the run-up to the local elections, the party has had to explain several changes and omissions on candidate lists. For parties, the issue is not only internal: the official lists determine which names voters actually see on the ballot paper.
The ANC remains one of South Africa’s major political parties, but has lost support in recent years and must take coalitions into account in several municipalities. A dispute over a prominent candidate could therefore affect the campaign in Nelson Mandela Bay, although it has not been established that the case will influence the election result.
The available sources do not make clear what the adverse findings are exactly. No conclusion can therefore be drawn about Lungisa’s conduct or suitability. The only established facts are that the party removed him from the list, that he disputes the decision and that the court still has to rule.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The ANC has removed Lungisa from a proportional-representation candidate list.
- The party cites adverse vetting findings but has not published their contents.
- Lungisa has challenged the decision in court.
Left
Arguments Parties seeking to exercise public power must vet candidates rigorously and be accountable for their choices, especially when integrity is at issue.
Values Transparency, integrity and trust in public institutions.
Consequences A more transparent process could restore trust, but closed procedures can instead deepen distrust.
Centre
Arguments A political party has room to select its candidates, but that room must be bounded by clear rules and judicial review.
Values Party autonomy, the rule of law and procedural diligence.
Consequences A court ruling can provide clarity without fully exposing internal party politics to the public.
Right
Arguments Voters must be able to trust parties to take responsibility for their own candidates. Internal screening should not automatically become a public procedure.
Values Order, party discipline and administrative effectiveness.
Consequences Swift decisions can protect candidate lists, but a lack of explanation may be seen as arbitrary.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The text sticks to the procedural facts and attributes the substantive allegation solely to the ANC. It does not speculate about the nature of the screening or Lungisa’s personal responsibility.
- confirmed The ANC has removed Andile Lungisa from the proportional-representation candidate list. — Confirmed in the ANC’s explanation as published by SABC News. source
- confirmed The ANC refers to adverse findings from the vetting process. — This is the party’s wording; the details are not public. source
- confirmed Lungisa is challenging his exclusion at the High Court in Johannesburg. — Reported by SABC and IOL. source
- confirmed South Africa’s local elections will be held on 4 November 2026. — The date is stated alongside the certified candidate lists. source
Editor's note
The party statement, the appeal and the date of the local elections have been confirmed. The contents of the screening are not public and remain uncertain.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „zuid-afrika anc”
- AD — „zuid-afrika anc”
- de Volkskrant — „zuid-afrika anc”