KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has become a highly sought-after commodity leading up to the 2024 general elections, with opposition parties hunting in packs, all vying for the scalp of the governing party.
This week, the IFP, which forms the main opposition in the legislature, inked an agreement with the DA that will see the two parties working together to improve service delivery in councils that they co-govern. At the heart of the pact is the dislodging from power the ANC in next year’s elections.
“We are serious when we say we want KZN next year at all costs. The agreement we have with the DA brings us closer to that dream. It is through our partnership that we can restore faith and trust in the political process. People have already shown that they want the IFP to govern the province, judging by the number of municipalities we govern and our back-to-back election victories,” IFP provincial chairperson Thamsanqa Ntuli told Sunday World.
The DA has already demonstrated its strength and ability to cause an upset. The blue party, for the first time, won its first municipality in the province. It snatched power from the ANC in the Umngeni local municipality, one of the ruling party’s traditional strongholds.
“People have seen for themselves through the impressive story of Umngeni how the DA turned a dysfunctional municipality into one of the well-run municipalities in the country.
“Umngeni is a shining beacon in a dark province. We know that in 2024 people will vote for clean governance and service delivery, which the DA stands for,” explained DA provincial leader Francois Rodgers.
Zizi Kodwa, ANC national executive member and one of the ruling party’s top brass, is in the province to determine the cause of the governing party’s declining electoral support, told Sunday World that the party was confident it would retain the province.
“We believe that the NEC interventions have yielded positive results. Our main focus was on the eThekwini metro, where the main challenges were related to service delivery. Various measures have been implemented to assist the metro. We are confident that we will retain KZN,” Kodwa said.
eThekwini is governed by an ANC, EFF and NFP coalition.
In the 2019 general elections, the ANC retained the province with a reduced majority, recording 54% compared to 64.52% in the previous elections. The IFP won 16.34% of the votes, pushing down the DA as the official opposition party for KZN. In 2014, the party received 10.86% of the vote.
But what are the key factors that will determine which party wins the KZN vote?
The Phoenix massacre
The killing of more than 36 people in the Indian township of Phoenix at the height of July 2021 unrest continues to polarise the province.
The Shembe Church
The church has about 5-million followers, and the ANC has been making every effort to appease church leader Mduduzi “Unyazi” Shembe. Despite the court’s verdict that he was an illegitimate leader, his influence and following forced political parties to embrace him.
King MisuZulu and the Royal House
The fight to ingratiate themselves with the AmaZulu King, MisuZulu kaZwelithini, saw both the IFP and the ANC jostling for his endorsement. Although the king is not a political figure, his influence among the Zulu nation is considered key to the political fortunes of parties.
The Zuma Question
Although his support has declined, former president Jacob Zuma continues to be a major influence on KZN politics.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
