ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula became emotional and briefly collapsed during a media briefing at Constitution Hill on Thursday, shortly after the Constitutional Court ruled in the party’s favour in its dispute over 181 excluded election candidates.

The briefing was brought to an abrupt end as officials moved to assist Mbalula, who appeared unwell and needed water before medical assistance was sought.

The incident happened during a question-and-answer session, after Mbalula had spoken about the emotional toll of the dispute and the relief he felt following the court victory.

[BREAKING] ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has collapsed after delivering an emotional address following the party’s court victory to have 181 candidates included on the ballot for the 4 November local government elections. Tune in to #eNCA on #DStv403 for updates. https://t.co/IoNju7pU2F

— eNCA (@eNCA) October 15, 2026

[WATCH] ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula sheds a tear after the Constitutional Court’s ruling that set aside the Electoral Court’s ruling, which rejected the ANC’s initial application to consider its lists as submitted due to an alleged technical glitch. #Newzroom405 https://t.co/U8v978S5Ph

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) October 15, 2026

Earlier, he told journalists that the possibility of ANC candidates being excluded from the November 4 Local Government Elections had kept him awake at night.

“I couldn’t sleep with this thing,” he said, referring to the possibility that voters in affected municipalities would not have ANC candidates to vote for.

Mbalula said the prospect of voters being unable to participate in the election under the ANC banner had weighed heavily on him personally.

“How will I live with a decision that in 2026 under my leadership … people could not vote?” he asked.

He said the court ruling brought significant relief, adding that the party would now focus on its election campaign.

The Constitutional Court overturned an earlier Electoral Court decision and ordered the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to take the necessary steps to include the ANC’s outstanding party lists and ward candidate nominations on the relevant ballot papers.

The dispute involved 181 candidates across six municipalities who were not included after the party failed to complete the online submission process by the IEC’s deadline.

During the briefing, Mbalula also defended the ANC’s decision to pursue the matter through the courts rather than through public protests.

He said the party chose to challenge the matter through lawful processes and maintained that the right to vote is fundamental.

“The right to vote is not a privilege handed down by an institution. It is not a setting in a computer program, and it is not a button on a screen. It is a fundamental right and it belongs to the people,” he said.

Mbalula also raised questions about the ANC’s relationship with the Democratic Alliance (DA), which opposed its appeal, saying the party would need to review the relationship within the Government of National Unity.

He stressed, however, that the ANC would discuss the matter internally and had not taken a final decision.

The court’s ruling comes less than three weeks before election day, and the IEC must now make the necessary changes to the affected ballots.