Duduzane Zuma sees MK gains but holds back on celebrating
MIDRAND — uMkhonto weSizwe Party deputy president Duduzane Zuma says early election trends have strengthened the party’s confidence, but it is too soon to celebrate while counting continues. Speaking at the Electoral Commission’s national results centre, he said promising returns in parts of the country had yet to translate into a final outcome.
“At this point we’re quietly confident. We’re keeping the champagne on ice. We’re not celebrating it,” Zuma told the media. jounalist reported that he remained confident of a majority, although his remarks did not specify which councils he expected the party to secure.
His comments came as MK contested its first local government elections, seeking to turn its support into municipal power. Thursday morning results showed the party leading the early KwaZulu-Natal count, ahead of the ANC and IFP. At that stage, however, no council in the province had been decided, according to reporting from the provincial results centre.
The party’s experience in the 2024 provincial election demonstrates why finishing first does not necessarily deliver control. MK won 45.35% of the KwaZulu-Natal vote but remained outside government after the IFP, ANC, DA and NFP formed a governing coalition. Its municipal prospects now depend on the distribution of council seats and, where no outright majority emerges, potential coalition agreements.
A major contest is eThekwini, where MK is seeking control of its first metropolitan municipality. The ANC fell short of a majority there in 2021 and subsequently governed with support from smaller parties, making the allocation of seats crucial to who takes office after this election.
Readers can follow incoming results through TownPress’s live dashboard, available across the website, and its dedicated election results and results breakdown pages. Counting remains under way, and early leads should not be read as final council outcomes.
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