ANC introduces rigorous vetting process for mayoral candidates ahead of 2026 elections

ANC Electoral Committee Chairperson, Kgalema Motlanthe, has announced that the party's mayoral candidates will now be put under an extensive vetting process to rid the party of unethical leaders.

Motlanthe, who briefed members of the media on the candidate selection process for the 2026 local government elections on Monday, said mayoral candidates for metros and cities will be handled through the National Official Office Bearers.

The briefing, which took place at the party's headquarters in Johannesburg, also outlined the lifestyle audits and clear eligibility criteria as part of the party's commitment to strong, diverse, and capable candidates.

Motlanthe said for this to succeed, candidates must have the right skills, experience, and integrity required to serve communities effectively.

"Mayoral candidates for cities and metros shall be handled by the national officials. This is to ensure that they select people who bring expertise and the requisite qualifications to occupy those positions," he said.

Ahead of the local government elections, the party has grappled with a range of unethical conduct by some of its senior government officials, as well as councillors at the local government level.

This comes as the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has revealed that some councillors and mayors have been fingered in alleged hits against each other.

The former ANC deputy president said the party has also resolved that at least 70% of its candidates for the upcoming local government elections must have prior experience in any sphere of government.

He revealed that this is part of the party’s electoral committee, which, in its deliberations, has released the minimum criteria its members must meet to qualify for seats in municipal councils across the country.

"As the party's electoral committee, we have resolved that to achieve continuity and government experience, at least 70% of our candidates must have previous experience in any sphere of government. They must be successful and effective public representatives, members of the executive, or officials employed in government, in the last 31 years," he said.

He indicated that the party has decided to cast the net as widely as possible to find all the best talent deployed by the party over the years in all spheres of government.

Furthermore, Motlanthe said the committee resolved to enforce stricter measures against those who use money to fund their election campaigns, adding that disciplinary processes are in place to ensure accountability and clean governance.

"To ensure that money plays no role in the candidate selection process, candidates and their supporters may not produce T-shirts, media, branding of any object, banners, pamphlets, or posters. Candidates may also not engage in any campaign that relies on donations or spend their own money, except for paying for meeting venues," he said.

He added that anyone found guilty will be disqualified from the candidate selection process and expelled from the ANC following internal processes.

Mothlante announced that the nomination process by branches will officially kick off in the early part of the new year.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za