African National Congress (ANC) MP Boy Mamabolo's urgent application has been struck off the roll by the Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday, with the court stating that the matter lacked urgency.
Mamabolo had taken the ANC to court in a bid to challenge the party's decision to remove him from the 2024 parliamentary list, hoping to regain his original ranking.
His name was moved from the fifth position in the provincial to the national list down to the 25th. According to Mamabolo, factions within the party led to his name being removed.
This comes after several party branches nominated him for inclusion on the list ahead of the elections. South Africans will head to the polls on May 29.
Mamabolo stated his removal from the candidate list was unlawful.
In documents presented in court, Mamabolo alleged that the Electoral Committee Secretary Chief Livhuwani Matsila had persuaded him to align with a particular faction within the party.
The ANC differed with this in court and maintained that Mamabolo’s demotion was due to non-compliance, particularly the matric certificate he failed to provide at the time. This raised concerns within the party and led to the decision.
What brought further complications was the ANC questioning Mamabolo's legitimacy regarding his academic credentials, given the fact that he has yet to submit qualifications.
Listed in his CV is a Diploma in Law from the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
Meanwhile, during a media briefing last month, the party's secretary-general Fikile Mbalula mentioned that no member would hold the ANC at ransom as it followed procedures that sweep across any member.
This is after he stated that members who are on the parliamentary list have undergone a rigorous process.
IOL Politics