Petition Regarding the Ward 25 Local Government Election Candidate Selection Process
We, the undersigned residents and members of Ward 25, hereby submit this petition to express our deep concern and dissatisfaction with the manner in which the Ward 25 Ward Councillor candidate selection process was conducted for the 2026 Local Government Elections.
As a community, we were invited to attend three separate community meetings intended to facilitate the ward candidate selection process. Unfortunately, each of these meetings ended in disorder and confusion, leaving residents frustrated and without confidence in the integrity of the process.
Our concern is that the process followed did not comply with the ANC's own 2026 Local Government Election (LGE) Guidelines, particularly Section 9: Ward Candidate Nomination and Selection Process. Specifically, Clause 9.2 – Presentation of Ward Councillor Candidates to the Community was, in our view, not properly implemented.
The guidelines require that nominated candidates be presented to the community and afforded an opportunity to engage residents before any voting process takes place. However, this did not occur in Ward 25. Instead, the meetings appeared to focus primarily on ensuring that certain individuals, including the Branch Secretary, were placed on the ballot paper, without the transparent community engagement envisaged by Clause 9.2 of the ANC Guidelines.
As a result:
• Community members were denied a fair opportunity to evaluate all nominated candidates.
• The prescribed democratic process was not followed.
• Public confidence in the legitimacy of the process has been undermined.
• The repeated disruption of meetings prevented meaningful participation by residents.
• Community members were not given an opportunity to cast their votes for any candidate.
Furthermore, the conduct of the Regional Deployees has raised serious concerns among many community members. Their actions created the perception that the process favoured particular individuals rather than ensuring a fair, transparent and impartial implementation of the ANC's election guidelines.
We respectfully request that the Regional Executive Committee:
1. Investigate the Ward 25 candidate nomination and selection process.
2. Review whether Section 9 and, in particular, Clause 9.2 of the 2026 LGE Guidelines were properly implemented.
3. Determine whether the conduct of the Regional Deployees complied with the principles of fairness, transparency and impartiality.
4. If irregularities are found, set aside the flawed process and conduct a new, transparent community presentation and selection process in accordance with the ANC's prescribed guidelines.
5. Ensure that all future meetings are conducted in a manner that allows every nominated candidate an equal opportunity to address the community, every community member an equal opportunity to participate, and every eligible community member an opportunity to cast their vote for the candidate of their choice in accordance with the ANC's prescribed procedures.
This petition is not intended to promote or oppose any particular individual. Rather, it seeks to uphold the democratic values, transparency, accountability and fairness that the African National Congress has committed itself to through its Constitution and its Local Government Election Guidelines.