Former president Motlanthe says ANC candidate selection procedures were followed — TimesLIVE

In South Africa, former president Kgalema Motlanthe, who chaired the African National Congress (ANC) electoral committee, said the party followed all internal procedures and verification mechanisms in selecting candidates. He spoke on the sidelines of the Drakensberg Inclusive Growth Forum, hosted by his foundation, TimesLIVE reports.

Candidate consideration in several stages

According to Motlanthe, candidates were nominated by party branches, after which they were considered by community structures, regional bodies and provincial committees. If disagreements arose over a candidacy, the community's position prevailed.

After that, the applicants underwent interviews and vetting. Provincial executive committees approved the lists, which were submitted to the extended ANC national executive committee, where the provinces were represented. Motlanthe acknowledged that the procedure takes considerable time, but insisted that all required stages had been completed.

His statement came amid complaints from ANC members who believed they had been unfairly excluded from candidate lists.

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Submitting lists to the electoral commission

Motlanthe also commented on registration problems that could have kept ANC candidates off the ballots. According to him, lists for 97% of candidates in constituencies were submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa in accordance with the established requirements.

At the same time, the names of 181 candidates under the proportional system and in constituencies were uploaded to the commission's website, but the procedure was not completed by clicking the submission button. Motlanthe stressed that uploading a list and formally submitting it are different actions. According to him, the matter was ultimately considered by the Constitutional Court, which clarified the different ways of submitting candidate lists.

Branches and youth

The former president also called on the ANC to restore the work of local branches and maintain constant contact with communities, rather than becoming active only ahead of elections. In his view, this would reduce the need to spend money on urgent mobilization, T-shirts, billboards and other campaign materials. Motlanthe added that the party needs to invest in political education and the training of younger generations.