Eastern Cape ANC chairperson Oscar Mabuyane says he is not ruling out internal sabotage after the party missed candidate registration deadlines, according to TimesLIVE. Mabuyane reportedly suspects that figures within the ANC may have deliberately contributed to the administrative failure. The missed deadline has raised questions about internal party tensions as the ANC prepares for upcoming elections, with Mabuyane calling for accountability over the blunder.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has demanded that ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula apologize within 48 hours for remarks they claim are defamatory. The EFF is requesting a public video apology and a retraction of the statements from all of Mbalula's social media platforms, warning that failure to comply will result in legal action.

Eastern Cape ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi has publicly challenged the party's secretary-general Fikile Mbalula over the ANC's failure to submit council candidates for elections. According to TimesLIVE, Ngcukayitobi is demanding answers as a bitter internal blame game erupts within the party over who is responsible for the failed submission. The dispute highlights deepening divisions inside the ANC ahead of the polls.

South Africa's governing African National Congress is set to provide an update on its court challenge against the Electoral Commission (IEC). The dispute stems from an announcement last week in which the party said it had been unable to capture all of its candidates on the IEC's system, an issue it attributed to a technical glitch. The challenge centres on the candidate list submission process ahead of elections, according to The Citizen.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula is facing a backlash within the party over chaos surrounding its election candidate lists, according to TimesLIVE. Candidates were reportedly left off lists submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), putting the party at risk of losing control of some municipalities. The blunder has sparked internal criticism of Mbalula, known as 'Boss', over his handling of the selection process.

The African National Congress has lodged an appeal against South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission over disputed candidate nominations. According to IOL, the ANC argues that candidates whose details were captured in the IEC system before the submission deadline should be regarded as having been properly submitted, even if the nomination process was not fully completed in time. The dispute centres on how the IEC interprets its cut-off rules for candidate registration.