ANC election candidates remain on list as IEC dismisses all but one objection

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has dismissed all objections against political party candidates standing for parliament and provincial legislatures, barring one from the Pan Africanist Congress.

This means that all the ANC's candidates - 29 of whom, including mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe and deputy president David Mabuza, received objections from the public – have been cleared for the May 8 election.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, the IEC said it received more than 70 objections to party candidates. Most were directed at candidates from the ANC (29), Black First Land First (19), EFF (13) and the DA (4).

Candidates may be objected to on three grounds: those who are not qualified to stand for elections; when there is no prescribed acceptance of nomination signed by the candidate; when there is no prescribed undertaking that they are bound by the IEC's code of conduct.

The IEC said it advised each party about the objections in writing and afforded them the opportunity to make representations. All parties are said to have denied the allegations set against their members.

The IEC upheld one objection,  against the PAC's Alton Mphethi.

It said all other objections failed to meet the "constitutional and statutory criteria".

Those who levelled the objections have until April 11 to appeal the IEC's decisions at the electoral court.

TimesLIVE previously reported that among the names objected to in the ANC were cabinet ministers Nomvula Mokonyane, Bathabile Dlamini, Zweli Mkhize, Angie Motshekga and Bheki Cele.

Former ministers Malusi Gigaba, Mosebenzi Zwane, Faith Muthambi, Bongani Bongo, Tina Joemat-Pettersson and David Mahlobo were also objected to.

The PAC had objected to its own candidate, as a previous criminal conviction excluded him from holding elected office in the provincial legislature or national assembly. Mphethi was sentenced in 2016 to 18 months' imprisonment in connection with a 2008 case when a man was beaten to death at his house.