IEC suggests ANC's technical issues with candidate submissions may be internal
The Electoral Commission of South Africa IEC stated that any technical glitches experienced by political parties, including the ANC, during the submission of councillor candidate lists might have originated from the parties' own systems, not the IEC's. This statement follows the ANC's claim on Monday that it failed to submit its complete lists due to issues with the IEC's system. However, IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo reported on Wednesday that the commission's system was fully functional on the submission deadline, Friday. He noted that while internet-based applications can face various issues like volume, bandwidth, or power supply, the IEC had no reports of its system being non-functional. Mamabolo also highlighted that online submissions had been available since June 21, allowing parties ample time to capture their candidate information. He addressed a past technical glitch in 2024 at the Results Operation Centre, which the uMkhonto weSizwe MK party cited in a court case, but maintained that the 2024 election results were unaffected. Mamabolo affirmed that the IEC has enhanced its results system and is conducting external testing, including cybersecurity audits, to ensure robustness for upcoming elections, with political parties to be invited to review the audit before the elections.
