Luthuli House Launches A Forensic Probe Following The Electoral Lists Fiasco In The Eastern Cape
By Asemahle Mfombi
10 September 2026 · 2 min read
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula
This comes after its provincial secretary had earlier demanded that his bosses gives him all the documents submitted to the elections agency
The ANC has launched an urgent forensic investigation into the tampering of its list of candidates for the upcoming local government elections as the party battles to overcome the public and party membership backlash over the scandal.
In a letter to its provincial party bosses, ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, announced the appointment of Mahier Tayob of Tayfin Forensics who will now undertake a forensic audit of the changes made to the ANC Eastern Cape lists between August 27 and 28. "The ANC NEC, at its meeting on the 27th of August 2026, at Barlowood, approved the candidate lists from the various provinces, including the ANC EC list. However, the list of the ANC EC was altered," wrote Mbalula in his letter dated September 9, 2026. He added that a detailed report from the forensic auditors was expected within 76 hours. "Therefore please ensure your full support and cooperation," he said.
August 28 was the deadline for all parties to submit their lists to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The election is on November 4.
The latest move comes as the ANC is embroiled in a legal battle with the IEC over this embarrassing fiasco. It also follows shortly after Lulama Ngcukayitobi, the provincial secretary of party in the Eastern Cape, early wrote to Luthuli House, the party's headquarters in Johannesburg, to demand a full report after concerns emerged over candidate lists.
In a letter dated August 31, 2026, Ngcukayitobi wrote to Mbalula, requesting a detailed account of the submissions made to the IEC for both ward councillor and proportional representation (PR) candidates. He said the province wanted to see the consolidated candidate lists per municipality and region, with particular attention being placed on the OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo District, Sundays River and Walter Sisulu Local Municipality lists.
The request also sought clarity on whether the submitted lists complied with the IEC's requirements. He gave Luthuli House a tight deadline, requesting that the report reaches his office of offices by 13:00 on 1 September 2026. It is not clear whether Luthuli House met the deadline.
