It was billed as the mother of all political gatherings, but the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) failed to live up to that expectation.
Party secretary Floyd Shivambu had earlier in the week promised that MKP supporters would swell Durban’s Moses Mabhida stadium. He went as far as saying the party would only transport its KwaZulu-Natal supporters to the venue, believing they would fill it.
“Apart from the buses, we have organised to ferry people in all corners of the province, a train service will also be available for comrades around Umlazi and other townships,” Shivambu said. He was speaking about the party’s readiness for the celebration.
The stadium was half-empty
Despite running three hours behind schedule, the crowd just did not show up. Party leader Jacob Zuma had to deliver his speech to a half-empty stadium.
Leading to the main celebration, the MKP had criss-crossed KZN, hosting what it termed “mini rallies” to drum up support mainly where it had recorded landslide victories.
In some regions once considered ANC strongholds, the MKP came out tops with the biggest share of the vote.
Zuma had also pulled in throngs of supporters when he addressed a gathering in KwaXimba near Cato Ridge. This ward had traditionally been a stronghold of the ANC.
Less than 30 000 supporters eventually showed up at the 56 000-seater Moses Mabhida.
Maybe the heatwave is to blame
It appeared that the scorching Durban heat coupled with the withdrawal of the train service contributed to the poor turnout.
The not so-good crowd did not dampen Zuma’s enthusiasm. Instead, he doubled down on his bold statements that his party would win several key municipalities in the country in the future. He included eThekwini, the economic superpower of KwaZulu-Natal, as a prospective conquest.
“There are four years left before we vote again and take back what is ours and fix our country,” Zuma said. “Are you with me? Stop acting like it will take 10 years. We need to work now, so we can be back in power.”
Zuma also ranted about the party being robbed of its two-thirds majority in the May 29 election.
The party scored the biggest vote share in KZN with 45.3%. It was, however, muscled out of power through an “unholy alliance” between the ANC, IFP, DA and the NFP. The quartet formed a government of provincial unity by a slim majority.
