UDM Heads to Electoral Court to Dispute ‘Missing’ Local Election Candidates
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has announced a formal legal challenge against the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), citing critical discrepancies in the final candidate list for the 2026 Local Government Elections.
In an urgent media release issued on Wednesday, UDM President Major General.. Bantu Holomisa revealed that several of the party’s official candidate submissions do not appear on the newly finalized public rolls.
The party leadership held an emergency meeting following the IEC’s publication of the final list, concluding that a formal court intervention is necessary to rectify the “missing” entries.
According to Holomisa, the UDM is not alone in its predicament; they are among 45 political parties reportedly impacted by systemic candidate submission issues.
However, the party expressed serious concerns that the IEC has processed these distinct grievances as a uniform matter, potentially overlooking the unique factual circumstances of individual party applications.
“Clarity is required regarding how individual cases were dealt with, particularly where the published outcome does not appear to correspond with the candidates and areas reflected in our submissions,” stated Holomisa.
The UDM’s legal team has been formally instructed to approach the Electoral Court to seek transparency and a thorough ventilation of the specific circumstances surrounding their omitted ward and proportional representation (PR) candidates.
Despite launching the litigation, the UDM emphasized that it does not intend to undermine the credibility of South Africa’s electoral institutions.
The party stated it is simply exhausting valid legal avenues to protect its democratic rights and ensure its candidates are fairly considered.
Holomisa assured supporters that grassroots mobilization, campaigning, and community outreach will continue uninterrupted across all validly registered municipal wards as the legal challenge plays out.
