ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula says the party is “hoping against hope” that it would not make any further losses in its stronghold eThekwini metro, having only managed to garner 43.57% of the vote by Wednesday night.
Opposition parties are set to be the beneficiaries of the ANC’s weaknesses, with the DA getting 25,8% of the votes, the EFF 10,17% and the IFP 6,73% .
Party insiders say they are deeply concerned about the infighting, killings, conflicts, breakaways, and the high level of corruption in the province which have negatively affected its brand.
KwaZulu-Natal is the ANC’s largest province in terms of membership, but it has been riddled with factionalism, political killings and lawlessness. Supporters of former president Jacob Zuma and a grouping calling for radical economic transformation have been clashing with supporters of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is fighting to clean the party and rid it of corruption.
Party provincial spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said he would not speculate on how members and supporters were feeling at the moment. But it is clear that the party will have to embark on a post-election engagement with supporters and members of the party in the eThekwini region.
“It is time for introspection. We have to go and meet with our structures and members to determine and get a sense of how they feel. It is true that we have had many conflicts and issues of infighting to deal with. That is known. But we want to say that not all of the results are in and we remain hopeful,” he said.
The Durban metro has been a comfortable power base for the ANC, but a series of breakaways including the firing of former corruption accused mayor Zandile Gumede with her big support base, the rise of the pro-Jacob Zuma African Transformation Movement (ATM) lobby, some former ANC leaders standing as independents and the July looting and unrest in the province have worked against the party.
Political analyst Protas Madlala said the breakaways and the corruption clampdown was bound to hurt the party. “The divisions in the party were of a serious nature. Also we know that Ramaphosa was not well received in the metro and the clampdown on corruption was a thorn in the side of those who wanted to make the ANC their permanent power base,” said Madlala. “The July riots definitely hurt the party, losing key wards to the DA.”
He said ANC supporters were fed up and stayed away.
“The obvious choice for a coalition partner of choice for the ANC is the IFP. Should the ANC decide to get into a marriage with the IFP, that could work, and the DA did indicate a willingness to work with the ANC under the leadership of Ramaphosa.”
Meanwhile, while the ANC is hurting, the DA is celebrating after sweeping the board in July hot spot Phoenix. The suburb was a volatile flashpoint of the fear, tensions and racial conflict during the devastation of the July uprising.
The party confirmed that it had scored outright wins in all five wards in the township, including Ward 52, which was held by the ANC. The results were received at the point of counting at the voting stations.
The win comes on the back of the recent public outcry over the “racist” posters as part of an aggressive election campaign. The posters placed near the Phoenix Plaza read: “The ANC called you racists” and “The DA calls you heroes”. South Africans and other political parties were angry and accused the party of being insensitive. The posters were removed after three days.
DA constituent leader MP Haniff Hoosen, who oversees Phoenix, Verulam and Tongaat north of Durban, said voters were tired of empty promises and want change. “This win is not about the July unrest, it is about the dedication and the commitment shown by the DA councillors 24/7. We also recorded a landslide victory in Chatsworth and there we did not have any posters and also took a ward away from the ANC.”
He said the DA has a track record of delivery and went above and beyond what was expected. “In this and many wards we worked under severe constraints under the leadership of the ANC government, but we persisted despite the challenges and that has paid off.”
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