ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula was overcome with emotion after the party won its Constitutional Court battle to have 181 candidates reinstated for the 4 November local government elections.
Mbalula expressed his gratitude to ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa for his leadership and support throughout the legal battle, saying Ramaphosa had encouraged the party to pursue the matter through the courts.
The ANC won its bid to overturn an earlier Electoral Court decision that had left 181 of its candidates excluded from the upcoming elections.
The dispute arose after the party failed to complete the final submission of its candidate nominations on the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s online system before the deadline.
Following the Constitutional Court victory, Mbalula credited Ramaphosa with encouraging the party to use legal channels to challenge the decision rather than abandon its efforts.
The ruling allows the ANC to proceed with its efforts to have the affected candidates included in the election process ahead of voting day on 4 November.
