Hope Ntanzi|Published
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has returned to work after collapsing following the Constitutional Court's ruling in the party's favour over 181 excluded election candidates, declaring himself “fit as a fiddle” and ready to resume campaigning ahead of the November 4 local government elections.
Addressing the media from Luthuli House in Johannesburg on Sunday, Mbalula said he had rested after ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa ordered him to bed following his collapse at Constitution Hill last Thursday.
“The President of the African National Congress, who is after all the boss, ordered me to bed. That order expired at six o'clock this morning. I have served my sentence, and I am back at my desk,” he said.
Mbalula said doctors had examined him and confirmed that he was fit to resume his duties.
He thanked his family, political colleagues and members of the public who had sent messages of support following the incident.
“The doctors have examined me thoroughly and I am fit as a fiddle. I have rested. Now the ground is calling my name,” he said.
Seven-week court battle took its toll
Reflecting on his collapse, Mbalula said the legal battle over the excluded candidates had weighed heavily on him for seven weeks, because he feared voters in six municipalities would not be able to vote for the ANC candidates they had selected.
“Many of you saw what happened to me in that courtroom. I had carried something heavy for seven weeks.
''The thought that people in six municipalities might be handed a ballot paper that did not carry the party they had chosen, that thought sat on my chest every night,” he said.
The Constitutional Court's ruling had brought an immediate sense of relief.
“When the Court spoke, the weight came off all at once, and the body did what the body does,” he said.
Mbalula acknowledged that the incident had raised concerns about his wellbeing, saying people should recognise their limits.
“I am a human being. All of us have a limit, and there is no shame in finding yours,” he said.
The collapse occurred on Thursday as Mbalula became emotional while addressing journalists at Constitution Hill following the court's ruling in the ANC's favour.
ANC candidates reinstated
The Constitutional Court ruled in the ANC's favour on Thursday, setting aside the Electoral Court's decision and directing the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to include the 181 candidates on the November 4 ballot papers.
The dispute arose after the ANC failed to complete the final step of its online candidate nomination process before the August 28 deadline.
The party argued that it had submitted its candidates' names, supporting documents and deposits, but that an incomplete step on the commission's system had resulted in their exclusion.
“Our argument was simple. The law of this Republic says what a party must do. A button inside a computer program is not the law. It appears in no Act, no regulation, no Government Gazette. A right our people bled for cannot be taken away by a screen design,” Mbalula said.
The ruling affects Ngquza Hill, Port St Johns, Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley in the Eastern Cape, uMshwathi in KwaZulu-Natal and Mangaung in the Free State.
Mbalula said the IEC was implementing the court order and that ballot papers in the affected municipalities were being reprinted.
The 34 other political parties that had found themselves in the same position had been included.
“We did not go to court for a favour; we went for a principle,” he said, arguing that the case was about ensuring that political parties and independent candidates were not excluded from elections over requirements not prescribed by law.
Despite the dispute, Mbalula praised the IEC for implementing the court order and urged South Africans to protect the commission as a cornerstone of democracy.
Mbalula turns attention to campaign
Mbalula apologised to voters in the six affected municipalities for the uncertainty over whether the ANC candidates they had selected would appear on their ballot papers.
“You did nothing wrong, and yet you were the ones left wondering whether your choice would appear on your ballot paper. For that, this movement is sorry, and I am sorry,” he said.
With 17 days remaining before the elections, Mbalula said the ANC would now focus on campaigning and addressing the challenges facing the country.
“The courtroom is behind us. The campaign is in front of us. I am back, I am well, and from today you will find me where I belong, which is on the ground, with our people,” he said.
He urged ANC members to visit voting districts and ensure residents knew where to cast their ballots.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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