The African National Congress (ANC) has defended its decision to remove National Executive Committee (NEC) member Andile Lungisa from its proportional representation (PR) candidate list ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
Lungisa has challenged his removal in court, maintaining that he was initially selected as the ANC’s candidate for the Nelson Mandela Bay PR list.The ANC says, however, that the outcome of its candidate vetting process resulted in adverse findings against Lungisa.
According to the party, those findings meant Lungisa did not meet the criteria set by the NEC for candidate nominees.The ANC has also maintained that the details of the vetting process should be dealt with behind closed doors.
The dispute has since reached the Johannesburg High Court, where Lungisa is challenging the party’s decision to remove him from the candidate list.
The court has reserved judgment until 12 October 2026.The matter comes just weeks before the 4 November local government elections, with Lungisa’s challenge placing the ANC’s decision under judicial scrutiny.
