ActionSA has welcomed the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) answering affidavit opposing an urgent DA Electoral Court challenge, arguing that it would disrupt the entire election process.

ActionSA believes the filing affirms that the DA's application is “opportunistic, hypocritical, and frivolous”.

The legal row stems from an application launched by the DA in the Electoral Court against ActionSA, the EFF, the MKP, and the GOOD party, in which the DA accused them of deliberately submitting proportional representation (PR) lists containing only a single name to hide candidate choices from voters, and allegedly manipulating legal provisions to supplement lists after votes are counted.

However, the IEC opposed the DA’s challenge, warning that the requested relief would be highly disruptive and put the entire integrity and timeline of the November local government elections at risk.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont highlighted that the DA's application, brought on 21 September, comes weeks before voting day, after nominations had already closed and lists were certified.

He argued that the DA is challenging a practice that political parties – including the DA itself – have followed openly in successive local government elections.

According to Beaumont, the DA submitted lists containing a single name in 12 municipalities for the 2026 Local Government Elections.

Because of this, ActionSA has asked the court to issue a punitive costs order against the DA, calling the application a “cynical waste of time” for political parties, the IEC, and the judiciary with just a month left before the elections.

Beaumont further slammed the DA's stance as “morally bankrupt,” questioning how a party could advocate for a departure from democratic principles by seeking to prevent seats from being awarded to parties that collectively represent over 25% of the South African electorate.

Defending his party's transparency, Beaumont stated that ActionSA's PR lists comprise ward candidates ranked by performance, allowing South Africans to shape the lists based on merit.

He contrasted this with the DA's internal processes, taking aim at the DA federal executive for returning a controversial candidate to a high position on the Garden Route District List.