For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: ANC reiterates ‘system glitches’ as it appeals to IEC to recognise election candidates; DA escalates battle against Gayton McKenzie; And, former ANC cllr defects to DA in Cape Town

ANC reiterates ‘system glitches’ as it appeals to IEC to recognise election candidates

The ANC has formally requested that the IEC recognise and process candidate details that the party says were successfully captured and stored on the system prior to last Friday’s deadline, rather than the IEC treating the submissions as non-existent, owing to the party's belief that “technical failures” blocked final confirmation.

Today the party clarified that it is not asking the Commission to condone late nominations. Instead, it is seeking only the inclusion of names its says were already on the Online Candidate Nomination System by the 17:00 deadline, with no amendments or reordering of any lists.

The ANC had claimed on Tuesday that the IEC’s candidate-capture system experienced technical disruptions on the final submission day, affecting multiple contesting political parties across various municipalities.

According to ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu, the Commission itself reported that 2 274 candidates across 45 political parties were captured on the system but not recorded as finally submitted, and were thus not officially submitted by the deadline.

DA escalates battle against Gayton McKenzie

The DA has escalated its political war against Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie, submitting what it says is more “damning information" to the Public Protector today to widen an ongoing ethics probe.

The supplementary complaint accuses McKenzie of transforming his State department into a vehicle for party-political patronage, systematically benefiting his inner circle and members of his party, the PA.

The submission expands on an initial complaint filed by the DA in July, which asked the Public Protector to investigate whether McKenzie breached his oath of office, the Executive Members’ Ethics Act, and the Executive Ethics Code through systemic maladministration, abuse of power and improper benefit.

DA spokesperson on Sport, Arts and Culture Leah Potgieter confirmed that its new evidence aims to legally compel the Public Protector to broaden the scope of the current investigation.

And, former ANC cllr defects to DA in Cape Town

Meanwhile, the DA officially welcomed former ANC Ward 39 councillor Thembinkosi Mjuza, announcing him as their newly fielded candidate for the same Cape Town ward.

DA Cape Town Metro chairperson JP Smith stated that Mjuza’s decision to switch allegiances was driven by the DA's consistent track record of service delivery, which the party said Mjuza witnessed firsthand on the ground.

Smith highlighted visible progress across Cape Town communities, citing recent upgrades to sports facilities and the release of City-owned land for development as key examples of governance that attracted the former ANC representative.

He said Mjuza was also drawn to the City of Cape Town creating an environment that unlocks private investment in the city, which he envisions to emulate in Gugulethu to empower local entrepreneurs and grow the township economy, creating even more jobs for Gugulethu residents.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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