South Africa: Zuma's Mk Party Takes Votes From ANC, EFF in Mpumalanga Debut On Back of Strong KZN Showing

29 February 2024
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
By Wayne Sussman

The ANC retained Ward 4 in eMbalenhle near Secunda in the Govan Mbeki municipality. Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto Wesizwe party took votes away from the ANC and the EFF to finish in second place in its Mpumalanga debut.

Ward 4 (eMbalenhle) in Govan Mbeki in Gert Sibande in Mpumalanga: ANC 51% (56% PR) MK 28% EFF 18% (26% PR) IFP 3% (1% PR) SKCP <1% (1% PR) TRUTH 0

The setting: eMbalenhle, which is west of the town of Secunda, sits on the R546 road which links Kinross with Charl Cilliers. Zulu is the most widely spoken language. Govan Mbeki also includes Bethal and Leandra. This part of Mpumalanga is also known as the Highveld Ridge. The municipality is part of the Gert Sibande district.

The 2021 local government elections: The ANC had a tough challenge from an independent candidate on the ward ballot, with the party getting 44% while the independent won just under one-third of the vote. The EFF came third with 18%. On the proportional representation (PR) ballot, the ANC beat the EFF by 30%. The DA was third on the PR ballot with 7%.

The ANC lost its outright majority in Govan Mbeki, shedding 10 seats as it declined from 36 to 26 in the 63-seat council. The DA grew from 15 to 17. The EFF consolidated its position as the third-largest party in the municipality by growing from nine seats to 13. The...

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