JOHANNESBURG, – Former South African President, Jacob Zuma’s MK party was leading resoundingly in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday afternoon, with 11% of the votes counted. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) predicts that MK will secure 14% of the national vote.
Zuma’s daughter, Dudu Zuma-Sambudla, stated that MK is open to collaborating with left-leaning organizations but will not form an alliance with the African National Congress (ANC).
“When former president Zuma announced in 2016, he spoke about working with progressive black parties, and that’s where we stand. As long as you are wanting land back and nationalisation, we are on the same page,” said Zuma-Sambudla.
She emphasized that the ANC, under President Cyril Ramaphosa, does not align with their vision of a progressive black party. “For as long as they are still run by Ramaphosa, they are not [a progressive black party],” she added. When asked about the possibility of a coalition with the ANC, she firmly responded, “definitely not.”
Despite this stance, Zuma maintains his membership in the ANC. On whether MK’s leadership is concerned about this, Zuma-Sambudla replied, “We trust his judgement, he is very wise.”
MK shares several policy goals with Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), including the expropriation of land without compensation and the nationalization of key sectors such as the South African Reserve Bank, major banks, mines, and other means of production. Both parties advocate for a larger role of the state in the economy and the recapitalization of state-owned enterprises like South African Airways (SAA), Transnet, Eskom, and Denel.
Interestingly, MK entered the elections without a premier candidate for KwaZulu-Natal. Last month, the party removed Nhlanhla Ngidi, the former KZN provincial government director-general, as its provincial coordinator. Ngidi was initially number one on the party’s list for the KZN legislature. Sihle Ngubane, the party’s interim secretary-general, announced that Ngidi had been replaced by Thobani Zuma, the former ANC deputy mayor of Msunduzi municipality.
It remains unclear if former president Zuma would choose Thobani Zuma as the premier candidate should MK engage in coalition governance in KwaZulu-Natal.
This electoral performance indicates significant regional support for MK and potential implications for South Africa’s broader political landscape.
