ConCourt win won’t save the ANC
· Citizen
The ANC may have won its legal battle with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) over the candidate lists dispute, but secretary-general Fikile Mbalula must not mistake a legal victory for a political comeback.
If the “ANC boss” believes last week’s outcome by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) has restored confidence in his leadership and put the ANC back on track for next month’s local government elections, he may be overly optimistic.
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The exclusion of 181 ANC candidates from the lists following a missed 28 August submission deadline and the party’s claim of a “technical glitch” was never its only problem.
It was merely a reminder of a much deeper crisis.
It exposed a party struggling to convince South Africans that it still understands their frustrations, deserves their trust and still has the competence to deliver services effectively.
The ANC’s challenges did not begin when some of its candidates were excluded from electoral lists and they will not end because the ConCourt ruled in its favour.
Unemployment, poverty, crime, collapsing services, corruption and political infighting will shape voter sentiment.
Winning in court is one thing. Winning back voters’ confidence is another entirely.
The real test for Mbalula is whether the ANC can translate a legal win into meaningful political renewal.
Voters will not judge the party by the strength of its legal arguments alone.
They will judge it by whether their communities are safer, municipalities function, jobs become accessible and public institutions serve citizens, rather than political interests.
Mbalula must also resist the temptation to shift the blame onto its government of national unity (GNU) partner.
The ANC’s difficulties did not begin with its partnership with the DA.
Years of declining electoral support, internal divisions and growing public dissatisfaction preceded the formation of the GNU.
Cutting ties with the DA will not solve the ANC’s problems. If anything, the GNU has exposed the reality that the ANC can no longer govern as though it enjoys unquestionable public support.
It must negotiate, compromise and demonstrate it can work with political opponents in the national interest.
The DA, meanwhile, had every right to challenge the ANC’s action against the IEC through the courts.
Political parties compete for votes and protecting their electoral interests is part of the game.
The DA was not obliged to stand aside simply because the dispute involved the ANC.
In a democracy, parties must be free to challenge actions they believe are unlawful, provided they do so through legitimate legal channels.
That does not make the DA immune from political criticism. It means the ANC cannot reasonably expect its rivals to protect it from the consequences of electoral disputes.
Mbalula is mistaken to threaten to review the GNU partnership because of the DA’s legal stance.
The 4 November elections will not be decided by who celebrates the loudest after a court victory. They will be decided by voters measuring political promises against their lived reality.
Mbalula may have won a legal battle, but the political war is far from over.
The ANC still has to confront declining trust, prove its relevance and persuade an increasingly sceptical electorate it deserves another chance.
The court can resolve a legal dispute, but it cannot restore public confidence in the ANC.
Only voters can decide whether it still deserves their trust. That is a verdict no judge can hand down.