The former President Jacob Zuma-led Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) is gunning for eThekwini, the only metro in KwaZulu-Natal.
This is among the party’s key objectives as its plots to cause an upset in the upcoming municipal elections. These are less than two years away.
The grand plan was revealed on Wednesday in Durban. The party was providing an update on the state of readiness for its one-year anniversary celebration.
Billed for Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on December 15
This celebration is billed for Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on December 15.
According to the party, it was befitting for the anniversary to be held in KZN and eThekwini in particular. Because that’s where the ANC splinter garnered its highest vote share.
“UMkhonto weSizwe enjoys the majority support in the eThekwini region. And in the 2024 general elections, more than 80 wards of the contested 111 wards in the eThekwini region were won by the MKP. The eThekwini is the home of uMkhonto weSizwe. It deserves this all-important anniversary of the MKP,” said the party’s secretary general Floyd Shivambu.
Before the emergence of the MK Party, eThekwini provided one of the biggest votes for the ANC nationally. However, during 2024 the once-governing party managed to garner just under 200, 000 votes.
The MKP, on the other hand, registered 600, 000 votes. This made it the biggest party in the region.
At just six months old when they contested elections, they went on to mastermind the demise of the ANC in the province. The party achieved an overall 45% of the provincial vote. It is currently the biggest party in the KZN legislature. However, it was muscled out of forming a government by the DA, ANC, IFP and NFP.
But Willies Mchunu, the MKP’s convener in the province, spoke to Sunday World on Wednesday. He said that the mood on the ground showed that the MK party will win several councils in the next elections.
Key economic hubs
“We are gunning for the key economic hubs and the numbers are not lying. The eThekwini will be ours. As well as other strategic municipalities such as Msunduzi, KwaDukuza, and Richards Bay,” Mchunu explained.
Leading to the anniversary, which will be addressed by Zuma, there will be public activation programmes. These will be in regions and provinces where the party received overwhelming support.
They include the Ilembe region on the province’s north coast. There, the party garnered over 50% support across the three local municipalities. These are Mandeni, Ndwedwe and KwaMaphumulo.
Party to establish headquarters in Gauteng and KZN
All these, except in the case of KwaDukuza are predominantly rural municipalities. Mpumalanga province is the second-highest in terms of provincial votes after KZN. There, the party will hold the public meeting at the uMkhondo local municipality, under the Gert Sibande district.
It will also meet its supporters in Gauteng’s Ekurhuleni metropolitan area. The MK party is the third-biggest party in Ekurhuleni. It registered 14% of the vote share during the 2024 general elections. The party is also represented in seven provinces.
It also announced that it will have its headquarters both in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
