Political tensions over the local government election results are mounting, with the ANC and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) both lodging formal objections with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) over alleged irregularities in the voting, counting and results-capturing processes.
The ANC in Gauteng says it has submitted 35 formal complaints to the electoral commission, citing alleged discrepancies in vote counting, differences between recorded and electronically captured results, and other matters it believes require investigation.
READ: IEC still has a way to go in finalising election results as counting continues across SA
The MKP has also challenged the electoral process, raising allegations of serious electronic results-capturing failures at the IEC’s results operation centres (ROCs), particularly in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.
The objections have placed the electoral commission under pressure to account for discrepancies raised by political parties as the finalisation of the election results faces scrutiny.
ANC CLAIMS RESULTS WERE CHANGED AFTER RECOUNTS
In a statement released on Saturday, the ANC in Gauteng said it had reviewed electoral outcomes in several areas and identified discrepancies that warranted formal objections.
The party said some of the concerns arose from reports by its election agents, who allegedly identified differences between results recorded at voting stations and those subsequently captured by the IEC.
“Consequently, the organisation has compiled and submitted formal objections through the applicable electoral processes in areas where concerns regarding the accuracy and integrity of the results have been identified. These objections arise from reports and observations by our party agents relating to counting discrepancies, differences between recorded and captured results, and other matters requiring further explanation. In some instances, queries raised and subsequent recounts have resulted in changes to the initial outcomes, including instances where the revised results confirmed ANC victories,” said the ANC Gauteng.
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The party said the IEC had confirmed ANC victories in wards 71 and 96 in Ekurhuleni, wards 71, 72, 88 and 89 in Tshwane, and ward 121 in Johannesburg.
However, the ANC said several other wards remained disputed, with the party awaiting the commission’s findings following objections it had lodged before the 5pm Friday deadline.
1 582 VOTERS REGISTERED AT ONE ADDRESS
The objections come as the ANC’s Sedibeng region prepares to approach the Electoral Court over what it describes as serious discrepancies in the certified voters’ roll covering Emfuleni, Midvaal and Lesedi.
On Friday, the party said its analysis had identified more than 30 000 questionable voter records, including thousands without residential addresses and instances of identical identity details allegedly appearing in different voting districts.
ANC Sedibeng regional secretary Jason Mkhwane said the party’s analysis of the voters’ roll, dated August 7, 2026, had uncovered unusually high numbers of registered voters linked to individual residential addresses.
The most striking example was 23 210 Lerothodi Street in Sebokeng Unit 13, where 1 582 voters were recorded.
Another address, 1454 Mareka Street in Sharpeville, allegedly had 1 256 registered voters, while 14659 Khaketla Street in Sebokeng Unit 11 had 965. At 9807 Pula Street in Evaton West, the party identified 779 voters registered against the same address.
“The most striking example was 23 210 Lerothodi Street in Sebokeng Unit 13, where 1 582 voters were recorded. Another address, 1454 Mareka Street in Sharpeville, had 1 256 registered voters, while 14659 Khaketla Street in Sebokeng Unit 11 had 965. At 9807 Pula Street in Evaton West, the party identified 779 voters registered against the same address,” said Mkhwane.
READ: ELECTIONS: How the IEC counts, captures and verifies votes
The ANC also flagged 32 182 voter records without residential addresses and 34 instances in which identical identity details allegedly appeared in more than one voting district.
Mkhwane said the party had resolved to approach the Electoral Court to seek verification of the disputed entries and appropriate legal relief.
The ANC said it had previously raised concerns with the IEC before the elections, following the Ward 28 by-election in May, which the DA won from the governing party. The matter had also been the subject of Electoral Court proceedings.
However, the party was careful to distinguish the questionable records from allegations of wrongdoing by individual voters.
“The discrepancies do not, by themselves, establish wrongdoing by individual voters,” Mkhwane said.
The ANC added that its concerns were not intended to undermine residents’ democratic choices but to ensure the credibility of the electoral process.
Its legal team is expected to advise on the application and the specific relief it will seek from the court.
MK PARTY BACKS ANC’S SEDIBENG OBJECTION
The MKP’s Sedibeng region has also thrown its weight behind the ANC’s objection, formally associating itself with the governing party’s complaints over alleged electoral irregularities in Emfuleni, Lesedi and Midvaal.
In a letter to the IEC, MKP Sedibeng treasurer George Mollo said the party supported the entirety of the ANC’s objection.
“uMkhonto weSizwe, Sedibeng region, hereby formally submit its support for and associates itself fully with the objection lodged by the ANC Sedibeng region. The objection is lodged in terms of Section 65 of the Electoral Act of 1998, relating to electoral irregularities and fraud that occurred on election day covering Sedibeng district municipality, namely Emfuleni, Lesedi and Midvaal local municipalities. uMkhonto weSizwe supports the entirety of the ANC objection,” said Mollo.
MKP ALLEGES SYSTEM FAILURE IN ETHEKWINI
Separately, MKP acting secretary-general Lindiwe Makubu wrote to IEC commissioner Titi Pitso on Friday, lodging formal objections over what the party described as systematic irregularities during voting, counting and electronic results capturing.
The party specifically cited eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and targeted results operation centres, alleging that a critical system failure disrupted the live results-capturing and data-transmission process.
Makubu said the breakdown affected data streams and compromised the visible audit trail.
“While results capturing remains active, severe arithmetic and physical mismatches have been identified. Monitored numbers captured electronically on the ROC leaderboards deviate systemically from the certified copies of the results slips filled out and countersigned by party agents at individual voting stations,” said Makubu.
The MKP demanded that the IEC immediately quarantine disputed electronic data and impose technical restrictions on results processing in affected voting districts and wards until an open audit had been conducted.
It also wants the commission to provide a transparent forensic explanation of the alleged network failure at the eThekwini ROC, including verification logs of data packets allegedly altered during the downtime.
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Furthermore, the party wants an independent forensic systems analyst, appointed by contesting parties, to examine the data-processing backend, source-code operations and physical ballot reconciliations.
“Capturing for these segments must be frozen until an open audit is conducted. The IEC must issue a transparent, forensic technical explanation detailing the operational architecture of the network glitch experienced at the eThekwini ROC, including verification log of all data packets altered during the downtime. The IEC must allow an independent forensic systems analyst, appointed by the contesting parties, to audit the data processing backend, source code operations and physical ballot reconciliations,” said Makubu.
The MKP has also demanded that the IEC delay the final announcement and gazetting of the election results until all discrepancies, quarantine requests, tickets and verification disputes raised by the party have been resolved.
With both parties demanding answers, the IEC now faces mounting pressure to address the objections and demonstrate that the final election results accurately reflect the votes cast by residents.
- Political tensions over the local government election results are mounting, with the ANC and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) both lodging formal objections with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) over alleged irregularities in the voting, counting and results-capturing processes.
- The ANC in Gauteng says it has submitted 35 formal complaints to the electoral commission, citing alleged discrepancies in vote counting, differences between recorded and electronically captured results, and other matters it believes require investigation.
- READ: IEC still has a way to go in finalising election results as counting continues across SA The MKP has also challenged the electoral process, raising allegations of serious electronic results-capturing failures at the IEC’s results operation centres (ROCs), particularly in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.
- The objections have placed the electoral commission under pressure to account for discrepancies raised by political parties as the finalisation of the election results faces scrutiny.
- ANC CLAIMS RESULTS WERE CHANGED AFTER RECOUNTS In a statement released on Saturday, the ANC in Gauteng said it had reviewed electoral outcomes in several areas and identified discrepancies that warranted formal objections.
