MK supporters feel let down as problems persist and party’s May poll momentum stalls

8 Dec 2024

The uMkhonto Wesizwe party managed a stellar performance in the national elections in May, but with no real power, its impact on the ground is limited.

Before the May general elections, the MK party was able to capitalise on the failures of the ANC in government, especially in KwaZulu-Natal. Headed by former president Jacob Zuma, MK rode the wave of communities’ frustration with a lack of service delivery by the very party he led for 10 years.

Despite the upbeat mood of MK leaders and supporters, the party has failed to maintain its May poll momentum. MK and Zuma continue to dominate headlines and upset the South African political applecart, causing divisions in the ANC, EFF and even the IFP, but MK voters and supporters on the ground have mixed views about the party’s impact on their lives.

Thokozani Dimba, an MK supporter from Dassenhoek, west of Durban, explained why she voted for MK but feels let down by it: “We were tired of ANC promises. We didn’t have water, we didn’t have electricity and people were tired of the potholes and crime in our areas. That is why many turned their votes to MK.

“But now, after the vote, we don’t see any changes. Things are still the same. We know that MK is still not in government, but we were expecting that, at least, it will highlight our plight and ensure that our cries are heard in Parliament,” she said.

Sizwe Sithole (28) from Ntuzuma, north of Durban, said he did everything to campaign for the MK party.

“I, and many people I know, was hoping that the MK party would be in power and we would get jobs, we would get houses. But still our situation has not changed. All we hear is that they are moving this member of Parliament out and putting in that one.”

A small group of MK party supporters protested when former KwaZulu-Natal premier Willies Mchunu and former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu were announced as new leaders of the party. Zuma warned those protesting that they were “free” to leave the party because he and the MK leadership would install leaders who are “fit for purpose”.

Some MK supporters declined to speak to Daily Maverick, saying they had been warned that only certain members are permitted to speak to the media.

Read more: The MK party’s year of living dangerously – from a dramatic political debut to internal turmoil

One supporter, a 39-year-old man from Mariannhill who had voiced concerns about some of the decisions Zuma and others in the leadership had taken, later asked for his comments to be retracted. He expressed fear and apprehension: “I don’t want to find myself on the wrong side of the MK party leadership. Please speak to the leadership.”

Nompumelelo Zondi (42) from KwaNdengezi, southwest of Pinetown, said she was still impressed with Zuma and the party. “I think, so far, Zuma and the MK party are still playing their cards very well. Zuma is a chess master.

“Who thought Floyd Shivambu, who was always at the forefront of taunting Zuma, would join the MK party? Look where he is now. Who thought Willies Mchunu would leave the ANC for MK? Look what is happening now. You will see, very soon the MK party will be governing KZN and the whole of South Africa. Especially blacks will be eating out of our hands,” she said.

Setbacks

The MK party has lost a number of by-elections in places like Mtubatuba, uMsunduzi and others where it had done well in May. Outside KwaZulu-Natal, it has not performed any better, despite now having high-profile leaders like Shivambu as its secretary-general.

On Wednesday, 4 December, in the Thabazimbi Local Municipality by-elections, where MK had campaigned vigorously, it only managed to earn one proportional representation seat.

Wayne Sussman, an independent political and elections analyst, said MK had achieved a stellar performance in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng – all provinces with large Zulu-speaking populations – but struggled in the rest of the country.

After its spectacular performance in KwaZulu-Natal during the May provincial poll, in which it received 45.3% of the vote, MK was expected to consolidate its dominance in subsequent by-elections.

“Since the general election, the MK party has struggled to build on that momentum,” Sussman said.

“In almost all KZN by-elections, it has done worse than it did in the national elections.

“MK has tended to do well in Zulu-speaking areas, but even there it is struggling. The arrival of Floyd and others has not had an impact so far.” He added: “Jacob Zuma is not a young man. He needs to build a bench of leaders who will take the party forward so that people will be able to trust the bench and vote for the party even if they don’t see Zuma’s face on the ballot. But I wonder if that is possible at the moment.”

Zakhele Ndlovu, an independent political analyst and senior politics lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the MK party lost a golden opportunity to govern KwaZulu-Natal after it won 45.3% of the provincial vote.

“That opportunity seems to have gone by now because no party is willing to work with the MK party to govern KZN. The DA, for example, says it will not work with MK because it has shady characters. It regards the MK party as the party of looters, responsible for the July 2021 riots.

“The ANC is not willing to work with MK because of known rivalries. The IFP, on the other hand, regards the MK party as rivals in the fight for Zulu voters. The IFP is better off in its current position as the leader of the KZN government, where it is able to manoeuvre and be seen to be delivering. The NFP will have more to lose than win by joining the MK party, and the EFF is not willing to work with MK as it has poached its members and supporters.

“So, the MK party is isolated because it cannot deliver on its mandate and it moves towards the 2026 local government [elections] with nothing to offer other than words. Some of its supporters have lost faith in it.

“I think the battle in the 2026 local government elections in KZN will be between the IFP and the MK party because the ANC seems to have lost the battle in the province,” Ndlovu said.

Attempts to speak to Mchunu, the MK party leader in KwaZulu-Natal, were unsuccessful. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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