Fikile Mbalula collapses after ANC court victory

African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula collapsed on Thursday following an emotional media briefing at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. The collapse occurred after Mbalula addressed the party’s recent victory in the Constitutional Court, which overturned a previous ruling that had excluded 181 of the ANC’s councillor candidates from the upcoming November 4 local government elections.

Mbalula, who appeared visibly overwhelmed and expressed that the legal battle had been difficult, told journalists, ‘I’m not feeling well,’ before slumping. He was assisted by bodyguards and ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu while receiving medical attention.

The Constitutional Court's ruling, delivered by Justice Rammaka Mathopo, directed the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to include the affected candidate lists and ward nominations on the ballot. The legal dispute originated from the ANC’s failure to complete the final online submission process for nominations before the IEC's deadline. The court found the explanation for the delay to be adequate and ruled that there was no prejudice to the applicant.