South Africa: KZN Battle Lines Drawn As ANC Defectors Stand for Zuma's Breakaway MK Party in Ward Polls

18 June 2024
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Wayne Sussman

There are by-elections in six wards in uMzumbe in KwaZulu-Natal's Ugu district on Wednesday, triggered by the defection of ANC councillors to the newly formed breakaway uMkhonto Wesizwe party, which garnered 45.9% of the KZN vote in the 29 May elections. Four of the former ANC councillors are now candidates for the MK party in these by-elections. Here is the lineup.

The setting: uMzumbe is on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal in the Ugu District. It lies between the uMdoni (Scottburgh) and Ray Nkonyeni (Port Shepstone) municipalities. Current ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Sboniso Duma and Police Minister Bheki Cele hail from the municipality.

The 2021 local government elections: The ANC won an outright majority, securing 21 of the 39 council seats and 15 of the 20 wards. The IFP is the official opposition, having won 14 seats and five wards. The EFF has two seats and the African Transformation Movement (ATM) and the African People's Movement (APEMO) one each. The ANC won all six wards contested in this round of by-elections.

The 2024 provincial elections: uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) was the most popular party in the municipality, winning 40% of the vote. The ANC won 28% and the IFP 27%, with the EFF well behind in fourth place with 2%. In 2019, the ANC won 70% of the vote with the IFP second on 16% and the EFF third on 7%.

These results suggest the ANC lost the bulk of its support to MK and some to the IFP. This trend affected the EFF in the municipality too.

Wards 1, 2, 3 are...

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