PRETORIA, Gauteng — The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has firmly ruled out reopening candidate submissions for political parties or individuals who failed to meet the strict nomination deadline. Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Dr. Victor Shale confirmed that the election nomination process is officially closed, emphasizing that no exceptions or manual overrides will be granted to parties claiming technical difficulties or system glitches.
With the deadline having passed on Friday, August 28, Dr. Shale clarified the final scope of the upcoming ballot. Out of the 345 political parties registered at the national level, only 66% have successfully made the cut and will contest the vote. While over 730 political parties are registered with the commission in total, a significant portion did not comply with the statutory requirements to formally express their intention to contest and file the necessary documentation.
The IEC also directly refuted claims made by the ANC, which suggested that system glitches contributed to its failure to submit candidate lists in certain areas, particularly in the Eastern Cape. Dr. Shale stated categorically that there were no recorded system glitches on the side of the IEC. He noted that the online candidate nomination system was intentionally opened on June 21—nearly two months before the official proclamation—to prevent last-minute issues such as load-shedding or technical failures. All parties that were able to make submissions within the stipulated timeframe did so without lodging complaints.
“The train has left the station,” Dr. Shale explained, stressing that the processes leading up to November 4, which were gazetted after Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa proclaimed the elections on August 7, are statutory, non-negotiable, and not subject to change unless a force majeure event occurs.
While the submission window is permanently shut, the IEC’s immediate task is now to review the received submissions for compliance with legislative requirements. Dr. Shale outlined the upcoming statutory timeline:
- By September 4: The commission may request additional documents (such as clearer copies of ID documents) exclusively from political parties that successfully submitted their lists by the deadline.
- By September 7: The absolute deadline for parties to provide any requested additional documentation.
- By September 9: The IEC will address “double packers”—instances where a candidate appears on the nomination lists of multiple parties. The commission will advise the involved parties to resolve the conflict and replace the candidate in accordance with the law.
- By September 16: The IEC will be in a position to publicize the final, official list of nominated candidates.
Dr. Shale also highlighted a positive trend in democratic participation, noting a 43% increase in the number of people participating as candidates compared to 2021. He took the opportunity to clarify the two distinct candidate categories for the public.
The local government election system features a dual-ballot approach. The first ballot allows citizens to elect a political party via its symbol, which fills Proportional Representation (PR) seats. This compensating mechanism ensures the proportionality of citizens’ votes across the council. The second ballot allows voters to elect specific ward candidates, with individuals and independent candidates contesting directly in approximately 4,500 specific wards around the country.
As the IEC moves into the compliance and finalization phase, Dr. Shale reiterated that the nomination chapter is definitively closed, and the commission will proceed strictly according to the established election timetable.
