Mantashe criticises Lungisa’s court challenge over ANC candidate list

ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has criticised Andile Lungisa’s decision to take his removal from the party’s Nelson Mandela Bay candidate list to court.

Mantashe said the dispute should have been handled inside the ANC. He made the remarks while campaigning in Kariega in the Eastern Cape on Saturday ahead of the 4 November local government elections.

Lungisa, an ANC National Executive Committee member, has approached the courts over his exclusion from the metro’s candidate list. The legal challenge remains before the court and no ruling was reported on Saturday.

Internal dispute enters election campaign

Mantashe said longstanding members who disagree with party decisions should first use the ANC’s internal processes. His comments represent the party chairperson’s position and do not determine the merits of Lungisa’s court application.

The dispute comes during the final phase of campaigning for local councils. Nelson Mandela Bay is one of the country’s closely contested metropolitan municipalities, making candidate-list decisions politically significant for parties seeking control of the council.

Mantashe conducted door-to-door campaigning in Kariega and was scheduled to address a community meeting later in the day.

The ANC’s candidate list will determine who can take seats in the metro council if the party wins sufficient votes. Lungisa’s application seeks judicial intervention in the process that led to his removal.

Details of the relief sought and the timetable for the case were not set out in the information reviewed by EBNewsDaily. Until the court decides the matter or the parties resolve it internally, Lungisa’s status on the Nelson Mandela Bay list remains disputed.