The governing ANC’s bid to remain in power in KwaZulu-Natal began with a feast of music as the party’s rank and file descended on the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday.
Supporters were ferried from the lengths and breaths of the country to the launch of the party’s election manifesto.
Packed to capacity
From as early as 7am, throngs of supporters, clad in the traditional attire of yellow, green and gold, walked from the former army base adjacent to the Suncoast casino in Durban. They walked all the way to the stadium, about three minutes away. A group of bikers also roared into the venue, creating a pleasant spectacle for the crowd.
As the day progressed, the more than 70,000 capacity stadium was almost full to capacity. Others were allowed inside the pitch. Early in the week, party secretary Fikile Mbalula had spoken of the football World cup venue being a good omen for the ruling party.
Venue is a “good omen” — says party
He said the last time the party launched its manifesto in KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC went on to record a 57% electoral support nationally. In KZN, the 112-year-old liberation movement managed to salvage a 54% voter share, making it the majority party in the provincial legislature.
“We are coming to Moses Mabhida for the second time. KwaZulu-Natal and Moses Mabhida have always been a good omen for us. The last time we were here, we achieved 57% of the national vote,” Mbalula boasted.
The party’s national chairperson Gwede Mantashe used the opportunity to throw jabs at former President Jacob Zuma. The former president said the reason why he had joined the ANC’s splinter grouping uMkhonto weSizwe party (MKP) was because the ANC under Ramaphosa was not the one he knew.
But Mantashe said: “There is only one ANC and there’s no ANC of Ramaphosa. We must get that clear comrades.”
Second-biggest voter population
KwaZulu-Natal is one of the important provinces for the governing party because it has the second biggest voting population after Gauteng. The ANC’s re-election bid will not be a smooth ride though, especially in KZN.
Here, the presence of MK party has been tipped to be one of the parties to cause an upset. The IFP has also been making inroads in former ANC strongholds in the province.
