![[File photo] African National Congress (ANC) flag seen at a party event.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SABC_NewsANC-1.png)
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Western Cape has welcomed the decision of the ANC in the province to apply the step aside rule to candidates who are facing criminal charges.
The SACP in the Western Cape says in a statement that this has affected at least three candidates who have been removed from the elections list for the November first local government elections.
The Communist Party in the province applauds the decision, which is consistent with the national guidelines of the alliance to protect the image and integrity of the ANC.
The party says in the statement that the ANC can only self-correct if there is the political will to implement the party’s rules fairly without fear or favour. It says the SACP will be fully behind the candidates of the ANC for the upcoming local government elections and will not support any dubious and corrupt candidates.
ANC Eastern Cape
The ANC in the Eastern Cape has vowed to take punitive measures against individuals found to have manipulated the system in order to secure themselves positions of councillor candidates for the local government elections.
The party has established a task team to resolve disputes stemming from the recently held branch and public meetings in which ward councillor candidates for the November first elections were nominated and selected.
More than 100 unhappy branches across the province lodged disputes about alleged irregularities in the nomination process.
Provincial party spokesperson Loyiso Magqashela says those found to have flouted the processes will be suspended.
“We are committed to saying we will, even beyond election, if Magqashela is supposed to be removed that will be so. It won’t excite us that we retain the ward, but in the same spirit, it will continue to haunt us that the correct candidate was deprived of the opportunity to be the candidate of the ANC because of manipulation, we must deal with it even beyond the elections,” says Magqashela.
LGE 2021 | ANC members in the Eastern Cape question councillor candidates’ list:
![[File Image] African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks during an election rally in Tongaat, near Durban.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ramaphosa-Reuters-120x86.jpg)
