Allegations of bias marred ANC nomination in Fetakgomo Tubatse Ward 22

TAUNG – Tensions are rising in Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality (FTLM) Ward 22, after residents of Taung village accused the ANC of conducting biased candidate nominations that favoured a contender from neighbouring Ga-Motodi.

According to concerned community members, the nomination process, held on 4 July 2026, was not fair, transparent and democratic, with several procedural irregularities undermining the outcome.

The nomination dispute comes ahead of local government processes in Ward 22, where communities in both Taung and Ga-Motodi have been lobbying for representation.

Speaking on behalf of a group of residents, community member Fannie Mzimba, said the way the nominations were run disadvantaged Taung participants from the start.

According to Mzimba, Electoral Officer, Mr Jerry Maseko, allegedly gave Taung participants only four hours to nominate, while Ga-Motodi was given the whole day.

“This was done to give an advantage to the Ga-Motodi candidate instead of the Taung candidate,” he said.

Mzimba further claimed that logistical arrangements limited participation in Taung, with only one Voting District (VD), the community hall, was opened in Taung, while multiple VDs were used in Ga-Motodi. 

“The only VD in Taung is located about 3km away from other households. Many people couldn’t participate because of the distance,” he said.

He also alleged that in some parts of the VDs, Taung residents were intimidated by a group of ill-disciplined Ga-Motodi residents who told them not to vote for their preferred candidate from Taung.

“An SMS nomination system was used in Ga-Motodi. When we requested Electoral Officer Jerry Maseko to use the same system in Taung he refused. We then asked that Taung residents be allowed to participate through SMS in Ga-Motodi later, and he still refused,” claims Mzimba.

Mzimba added that in Ga-Motodi, the community was allowed to participate even after the scheduled time, the gates were wide open. That couldn’t happen in Taung.

Following the nominations, Mzimba and other concerned residents submitted a petition to the ANC Regional Headquarters at Elias Phakane Moretsele House in Jane Furse, demanding that the Ward 22 candidate nominations be re-run.

They say the request was turned down by ANC Regional Chairperson Minah Bahula. 

“We are worried that all rerun submissions that were made were granted, and only the one brought by Taung residents was rejected,” Mzimba said.

The residents have named Maseko and ANC Ward 22 Branch Chairperson Solly Mthombothi as individuals they believe are sabotaged the candidate from Taung.

Residents from Taung say they will continue to pursue internal ANC channels to have the nominations reviewed, arguing that without a re-run the credibility of the ward candidate will remain in question.

ANC Spokesperson in Sekhukhune Region, Sam Uwane, confirmed receipt of a complaint regarding the candidate selection process for Ward 22 in the Fetakgomo Tubatse Sub-region.

“All the parties were convened at Elias Phakane Moretsele house on the 14 July 2026 to deal with the complaints. The meeting deliberated on all the issues raised in the letter,” he said.

Uwane said during deliberations, it was established that SMS voting was used in one Voting District. A separate register was however maintained for all voters who participated via SMS confirmation.

“It was agreed that the total of 97 votes be withdrawn and the outcomes of the community vote were confirmed by all parties as true reflection of the process,” he said.

Uwane said a consensus was reached and the ANC Sekhukhune Regional Office directed the branch to proceed to the final Branch General Meeting to endorse the results.