The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has rejected an application for the registration of a new political entity by former African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament, Jacob Boy Mamabolo.

Titled “Mandela for President,” the party’s bid has been thwarted primarily due to failures in meeting several critical registration requirements.

In a statement on Monday, the IEC indicated that Mamabolo’s party did not provide the minimum number of valid signatures required for registration, nor did it meet the threshold for the number of registered voters.

In addition to these oversights, the IEC raised alarms regarding potential voter deception stemming from the party’s name, “Mandela for President,” paired with its striking green and black colours.

The IEC expressed concerns that the branding could lead the public to erroneously associate the party with the late President Nelson Mandela.

Further scrutiny revealed additional discrepancies between the party’s constitutional documents and the IEC’s official records. The party identified its founding convener as Mandela Jacob Boy Mamabolo; however, the IEC’s records list him only as Jacob Boy Mamabolo.

“This suggests that a material aspect in the registration of the party may have been misrepresented,” said the IEC.

As a consequence of these multiple infractions, the party remains unregistered, and thus, ineligible to participate in any forthcoming elections.

Earlier this month, the Polokwane High Court ruled that Mamabolo’s Facebook account must be deactivated, and he was also prohibited from making defamatory remarks about John Mpe, the mayor of Polokwane, and his family on any social media platforms.

The court’s decision follows Mpe’s action, where he alleged that Mamabolo accused both him and ANC provincial secretary Vhamusanda Madhadze of altering the Limpopo parliamentary list, which led to Mamabolo not being nominated for parliament by the party.

Messages from WhatsApp showed in court revealed that Mamabolo had issued threats to hire a hitman to eliminate Mpe and Madhadze, stating he does not “forgive those who steal food from his table.”

Mamabolo claimed that multiple branches had nominated him following the ANC’s constitution and electoral guidelines, and that he had garnered enough nominations for his name to appear on the provincial-to-national list for Limpopo.

He has since taken the party to court and the matter is due to be heard in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on September 1, 2025.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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