As the general elections draw closer, political parties are gearing up to court the important demographic in Durban’s Indian townships and the surrounding areas.
In its attempt to form a coalition government under the auspices of the so-called Multiparty Charter, the DA is one of the parties hoping to gain Indian support.
However, in KwaZulu-Natal, the blue party will bank on the backing of the IFP, which appears to be on an upward trajectory and is tipped to be among the top three parties in the province with prospects of causing an electoral upset.
The DA has on numerous occasions taken its election machinery to predominantly Indian townships, mainly Verulam, Chatsworth, Phoenix, and other surrounding areas.
This weekend was no exception, with the party’s campaign in full swing.
DA heavyweights descend on KZN
“Chatsworth has been one of our strongholds over the years because we have a good record of fighting for the people of this area,” said Chris Pappas, the DA premier candidate in KwaZulu-Natal, during a community dialogue in the area.
“Any party that thinks it will change the minds of voters in this area is probably dreaming.”
The engagement also saw Geordin-Hill Lewis, the City of Cape Town mayor, join his provincial counterparts to sell the party’s message to the electorate.
The party has been on crusade, dispatching its heavyweights to KwaZulu-Natal and preaching the story of the Western Cape, where it governs “successfully”.
The blue party said if the voters gave the party a chance in KwaZulu-Natal, it would change the fortunes of the province.
“The eThekwini metro is milking residents with massive increases for services that they are not getting,” said Hill-Lewis.
“It is worse among the cities in which I have seen their budget allocation and spending. No money is going towards investment or fixing problems. The money is going to salaries and nice-to-haves.”
MK Party will bury the DA
However, Azara Moodley of the uMkhonto Wesizwe Party explained that Chatsworth residents were willing to give the new party, which is run by former president Jacob Zuma, a chance to govern.
“All political parties have made many promises to the Indian community but failed to deliver,” said Moodley.
“The people of Chatsworth, like any other Indian township, now want change. The MK party will bury the DA’s dominance in Indian townships.”
Recent polling results point to eThekwini becoming a major battle for KwaZulu-Natal, with no outright majority in the province.
This means that it will go down to the wire, with parties forced to strike partnerships. A similar picture emerged after the 2021 local government elections in the eThekwini metro.
The ANC received less than 50% of the vote for the first time, obtaining nearly 44%.
The governing party had to rely on the EFF and other smaller parties to govern the economic powerhouse in the province.
However, the coalition remains unstable, with the red berets lamenting that the ANC has failed and should be booted out.
Power-sharing agreement
In the meantime, ActionSA has already proposed a power-sharing agreement in the severely troubled eThekwini metro.
The party explained that to bring stability to the only metro in KwaZulu-Natal, the IFP, DA, and EFF should work together to oust the ANC.
“However, should the DA be reluctant to form a coalition with the EFF, we propose that we allow for the IFP and the EFF to share office-bearer positions and allow the DA to take a majority of three chairpersons of portfolio committee positions, leaving the two to the EFF and the IFP,” according to ActionSA.
