ActionSA Candidate Omissions Spark Outcry Ahead of LGE 2026 in North West

North West — Several ActionSA members in the North West province are demanding answers regarding the sudden ActionSA candidate omissions from the final ward councillor list ahead of the LGE 2026 (Local Government Elections). The controversy erupted in the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality after the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) published its certified candidate lists on September 16 for the upcoming November elections.

The aggrieved politicians, hailing from six different wards within the municipality, claim they successfully completed all internal political vetting and selection processes required by the party. Pilot Mosothwana, a potential councillor candidate for Ward 18, is among those questioning whether the exclusion was a result of administrative failure or deliberate manipulation by local leadership prior to the IEC submission.

Mosothwana stated that the original internal lists clearly featured their names, noting that the party initially recruited him directly from his community.

“We took pictures, and the list was there with our names appearing on it. We all have a copy of that list,” Mosothwana explained. “But it was amazing sometime this week when the final list from the IEC was published. We find that several candidates, their names are not on that list.”

He alleged that the individual tasked with submitting the list to the IEC possessed two separate documents. “We realized that the person who was submitting the list had two lists with her, knowing that she has her own team,” Mosothwana claimed, adding that they were removed after being requested to participate in the region.

In response to the growing unrest, ActionSA leadership has dismissed allegations of foul play, characterizing the incident as an honest administrative error rather than intentional manipulation. Ofentse Kombe, the ActionSA North West Secretary, addressed the concerns to reassure the party’s structures.

“We want to reassure and reaffirm to the members of ActionSA and all of our structures that the errors that have occurred, insofar as double capturing and capturing of candidates for Ramotshere Moiloa, should not be attributed to any singular individual,” Kombe stated. He emphasized that the discrepancies should not be viewed as malicious.

“The matter was discussed at the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC). The provincial chairperson and the provincial secretary will therefore engage the affected members and the affected boards,” Kombe added, outlining the party’s next steps for resolution.

Despite the party’s assurances, Mosothwana remains unconvinced, suspecting a strategic maneuver to hijack his strong community support base. He argued that the party leadership intended to use his mobilization efforts to win over voters while secretly substituting him with a different candidate.

“What they did was deliberately show that they wanted to use us to mobilize on behalf of the candidates they want,” Mosothwana asserted. He pointed out that the replacement candidates lack community recognition and visibility.

“Those who are behind Pilot, they won’t allow that person. Firstly, they don’t know him; he is not active in the community. Many people don’t even know him facially; he is not visible at funerals and all that,” he argued. “It’s just to get the community to unite and see which party they can give their vote to.”

This internal dispute comes at a critical time for the party in the region. ActionSA previously secured a significant milestone by winning its first by-election in the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality, specifically in Ward 7, in October of last year. The resolution of these LGE 2026 candidate list discrepancies will be crucial as the party prepares for the November electoral contest.