Elections: MK Party confident it will take control of eThekwini
· The South African
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party says it is confident it will take control of the eThekwini Municipality after the 4 November local government elections.
This comes as political parties intensify their campaigns and engage with residents in communities across South Africa ahead of the elections.
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MK PARTY CONFIDENT OF VICTORY IN ETHEKWINI
MK Party KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Mkhuseli Mlingani said the party was confident that the signs pointed towards it taking control of the metro.
“The indicators that we are going to take over eThekwini are there. Only a blind person cannot see that,” said Mlingani.
He claimed that the African National Congress (ANC) was attempting to counter the MK Party’s support by welcoming new members who claimed to have defected from the MK Party.
“That’s why even the former ruling party is scrambling, trying to perform gimmicks as they welcome new members, claiming they’re from the MK Party. But we do not know those people in the ranks and files of uMkhonto weSizwe,” said Mlingani.
Th party is seeking to strengthen its position in KwaZulu-Natal, where it received significant support in the 2024 national and provincial elections.
The party recently appointed former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede as its deputy convenor in KwaZulu-Natal. Her appointment had fuelled speculation that she could be the party’s mayoral candidate for the upcoming local government elections.
However, the party ultimately selected Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi as its eThekwini mayoral candidate.
MK Party KZN spokesperson Mkhuseli Mlingani says the party is confident it will take control of eThekwini Municipality, despite what he describes as political “gimmicks” by the ANC against them.
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PARTY CHANGES MAYORAL CANDIDATE
The MK Party initially named Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi as its eThekwini mayoral candidate in August.
However, she was later removed from the position following allegations relating to the party’s candidate lists. Phakathi was subsequently announced as her replacement.
Despite the change, Hlophe-Mkhwanazi remains at the top of the MK Party’s certified proportional representation candidate list for eThekwini, while Phakathi is the party’s mayoral candidate.
The MK Party is among several political parties contesting control of eThekwini, with issues including water shortages, electricity, infrastructure, service delivery and unemployment expected to feature prominently in the election campaign.