The ambitious ANC electoral committee has succumbed under pressure of multitudes of successful candidates for councilors for the ANC who do not have matric.
And in its ambition, the committee led by former ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe believes that the same people, some of whom in their 50s and 60s can pass Grade 12 within the next year.
Slim chance of compliance
Worse still, many of the successful candidates without matric have never reached high schools as a starting point which makes the requirement to commit to finish it in the next academic year mission impossible.
As if this is not enough, some of the successful councilor candidates in the ANC provincial lists are as illiterate as being primary school dropouts hence provincial leaders asked Motlanthe to create a dispensation to let them pass against the matric certificate possession requirement.
This is the looming crisis for the former liberation movement ahead of IEC deadline for the submission of councilor candidates lists by all political parties on Friday.
Motlanthe draws line in the sand
Motlanthe, in a desperate letter dispatched to provinces on Monday, said those candidates without matric must sign an undertaking to complete same no later than end of next year.
Failure to do so will lead those without matric being removed from the list with provinces having held their list conferences.
That on its own is bound to birth another disaster – replacing candidates within two days before submission of the final list to the IEC on Friday.
The ripple effect of this may be that candidates that emerged out of popular support in community meetings might find themselves in the cold, thus antagonising the communities that chose these candidates.
Requests for waivers shot down
Motlanthe is not bothered because his ultimatum comes into force by end of business Tuesday, and Wednesday the dreaded axe will begin to fall on those not in compliance.
“The electoral committee has received your requests for waivers on behalf of candidates without matric qualifications in your provinces,” wrote Motlanthe to the provincial secretaries on Monday.
“Upon assessment of your motivation and attached documents, the electoral committee regrets to inform you that none of the candidates qualify for a waiver as contemplated in the rules and guidelines approved by the NEC.
“Your recommendations fail to justify as to why any of these candidates should be of exceptional attributes on their own and in relation to other available candidates in these wards and municipalities,” he went on.
Grace period extended
Instead, Motlanthe said a grace period was extended until end of business on Tuesday for those who can put their head on the block that they will complete matric by end of 2027.
“It is on this basis that the electoral committee may grant a grace period as a conditional waiver for the candidates without matric qualifications [if the affected candidates can] commit to acquiring a matric qualification or an accredited qualification at NQF 4 or higher within 12 months of being an ANC councilor and… submit a written and signed pledge for this purpose to the electoral committee through the PLC (provincial list committee).
“Candidates who do not submit the written and signed pledges through the PLC by 17h00 on 25 August 2026 must be immediately removed and replaced on the candidate lists.”
Various regional secretaries across the country, such as Polelo Mohale in Alfred Nzo region, were running around like headless chickens on Monday night and Tuesday trying to get their illiterate councilor candidates to comply with the Motlanthe directive.
“This communique serves to inform all candidates without matric to sign commitment form at regional office on Tuesday the 25 August 2026 from 09h00 to 16h00,” wrote Mohale to branches in the region.
- The ambitious ANC electoral committee has succumbed under pressure of multitudes of successful candidates for councilors for the ANC who do not have matric.
- And in its ambition, the committee led by former ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe believes that the same people, some of whom in their 50s and 60s can pass Grade 12 within the next year.
- Slim chance of compliance Worse still, many of the successful candidates without matric have never reached high schools as a starting point which makes the requirement to commit to finish it in the next academic year mission impossible.
- As if this is not enough, some of the successful councilor candidates in the ANC provincial lists are as illiterate as being primary school dropouts hence provincial leaders asked Motlanthe to create a dispensation to let them pass against the matric certificate possession requirement.
- This is the looming crisis for the former liberation movement ahead of IEC deadline for the submission of councilor candidates lists by all political parties on Friday.
Worse still, many of the successful candidates without matric have never reached high schools as a starting point which makes the requirement to commit to finish it in the next academic year mission impossible.
As if this is not enough, some of the successful councilor candidates in the ANC provincial lists are as illiterate as being primary school dropouts hence provincial leaders asked
Failure to do so will lead those without matric being removed from the list with provinces having held their list conferences.
“
“Upon assessment of your motivation and attached documents, the electoral committee regrets to inform you that none of the candidates qualify for a waiver as contemplated in the rules and guidelines approved by the NEC.
“Your recommendations fail to justify as to why any of these candidates should be of exceptional attributes on their own and in relation to other available candidates in these wards and municipalities,” he went on.
Instead,
“It is on this basis that the electoral committee may grant a grace period as a conditional waiver for the candidates without matric qualifications [if the affected candidates can] commit to acquiring a matric qualification or an accredited qualification at NQF 4 or higher within 12 months of being an ANC councilor and… submit a written and signed pledge for this purpose to the electoral committee through the PLC (provincial list committee).
“
Various regional secretaries across the country, such as Polelo Mohale in Alfred Nzo region, were running around like headless chickens on
“
