LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026: MK party takes four KZN municipalities from ANC as governance test looms

In its first local government election, former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party appears to be the biggest winner in KwaZulu-Natal, having taken the lead in four municipalities previously governed by the ANC.

With 90% of the votes counted and independently verified across the province as of Friday night, the MK party is also leading in 14 other municipalities, although it has fallen short of an outright majority in these areas.

The results are impressive for a party contesting local government elections for the first time, particularly as some of its victories have come in municipalities where the ANC has enjoyed support for years.

It also means the country will soon get the first real taste of how the MK party governs at the municipal level, which is particularly important for an organisation that has been rocked by internal instability. 

MK makes inroads into ANC strongholds

The first municipality where the party was seen to perform strongly was Richmond Local Municipality, in the Midlands, which for years has been an ANC stronghold.

The MK party secured an outright majority of 56%. This came as a surprise to many; in the previous local government elections, in 2021, the ANC won the municipality with an overwhelming majority of almost 70%.

The second was Impendle, west of Pietermaritzburg, which was also previously governed by the ANC. It has been grappling with financial difficulties and has struggled to pay workers. It was placed under provincial administration.

The third is uMshwathi, in the Midlands, which has been governed by the ANC since 2006. The MK party has since stripped the ANC of its majority, securing 47% of the vote, but falling short of an outright majority.

The fourth was Johannes Phumani Phungula Local Municipality, south-east of Pietermaritzburg. The MK party received 48.1% of the vote, which gave it 14 seats, followed by the ANC at 29.7%, the IFP at 11.5% and the DA at 3.7%, taking away the outright majority the ANC previously enjoyed.

Although the MK party has emerged as the largest party in these municipalities, it will need the support of other political parties to govern in those where it has fallen short of an outright majority.

MK makes its mark in KZN

This is the first time Zuma’s party is contesting local government elections, following its strong performance in the 2024 national and provincial elections, in which it secured about 45% of the provincial vote.

Beyond the four municipalities, the party has also secured a total of 431 council seats across the province.

Of the province’s 54 municipalities, the IFP has so far secured an outright majority in only one, its longtime stronghold of Mthonjaneni in northern KwaZulu-Natal, where it received 58% of the vote. It is, however, leading in 13 municipalities. 

Will history repeat itself?

In the 2024 elections, the MK party emerged as the largest party in KwaZulu-Natal, winning 37 out of 80 seats in the provincial legislature. It was followed by the IFP with 15 seats, the ANC with 14, the DA with 11, the EFF with two and the NFP with one.

Although the MK party had hoped to secure a clear majority with more than 50% of the vote, disputes over the election results delayed coalition talks. This opened the door for the IFP, ANC, DA and NFP to form a coalition government with a total of 41 seats, leaving the MK party out of power.

This time around, the MK party’s provincial leader, Willies Mchunu, says the party wants to be in government and will do everything in its power to ensure this becomes a reality, including talking to different parties. 

Asked whether he feared that history would repeat itself, he responded:

“It won’t be our fault if history repeats itself. We were not the makers of the history that happened in 2024. We are also not going to be makers of that history now. Of course there is a party that doesn’t want to talk to us. As we say, we will talk to everybody, in fact, they’ve made us hate them as well,” Mchunu said.

With the MK party emerging as the largest party in several municipalities but falling short of outright majorities, coalition talks are likely to determine whether it will finally get the opportunity to govern.

For now, the numbers remain provisional, although counting has been completed in most municipalities. There may still be objections before the official results are announced. DM