The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal continues to bleed votes after it suffered another devastating defeat at the polls.
In a highly contested by-election under the Mthonjaneni local municipality on Wednesday, the IFP managed to snatch ward six from the ANC.
The Mthonjaneni municipality is in Melmoth, a rural town in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Previously, the ward was under the ANC, however, it became vacant when its councillor Sabelo Mnguni resigned citing safety reasons.
The IFP won the ward with 1 377 votes (62.62%) against the ANC’s 727 (33.1%). The EFF displayed a dismal showing, only achieving 48 votes (2.18%).
In Nkandla local council ward two, the ANC suffered a similar fate. The IFP retained the ward with 1 363 votes against the ANC’s 383.
The ANC top brass in the province did not immediately react to the election results.
On the other hand, IFP chairman in KwaZulu-Natal, Thamsanqa Ntuli, described the party’s performance as a momentous triumph.
“This momentous triumph by the IFP is not only a setback for the ANC, but also a reflection of their waning support across KwaZulu-Natal,” said Ntuli.
He insisted that the results are a thumbs down for ANC MECs, that their affiliation with the governing party no longer holds value.
Leading up to the by-elections, the traditional political foes went as far as donating food parcels and livestock to voters in a bid to win their hearts.
However, it was the IFP that had the last laugh.
Previously, the ANC’s electoral misfortunes prompted its national executive committee (NEC) to deploy party heavyweights to probe the reasons behind the decline in votes.
At some point, the NEC mulled over a decision to dissolve the provincial executive committee.
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