Can the ANC’s win in the by-election at Msunduzi Municipality serve as a stimulus that revives the party’s apparent declining fortunes?
The party’s top brass thinks so, and has trumpeted the win in the by-election saying it shows beyond reasonable doubt that the ANC is regaining lost ground.
The ward 2 councillor position became vacant after Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) councillor was expelled by his party for alleged misconduct and the ward was highly contested with the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) also joining in the competition.
The ANC got 1602 votes, while MKP received 1164 and the IFP trailed in third spot with 344.
ANC KZN spokesperson Mafika Mndebele attributed the win to the organisational renewal programme saying it had helped to rebuild and reenergize the party.
“The ANC was established to lift ordinary members of society out of abject poverty and ensure an improved quality of life. The people of Ward 02 and KwaZulu-Natal in general are saying the ANC is the only party with the capacity and political will to use all spheres of government to change their lives,” Mndebele stressed.
He added that they would build on the support by ensuring that elected public representatives are accelerating service delivery in all corners of the province.
“All structures of the organisation are speaking with one voice. They are saying let us turn the ANC into a more potent weapon for the transformation of our society and improvement of the lives of the people. Only a strong and united ANC can deliver the future of our dreams,” he said.
Meanwhile newly elected ward 2 councillor Mbongeni “Ndu” Zuma has cited water provision as one of the focus points in the next few months, and ensuring greater cooperation between his office and local structures including the ward committee and traditional leaders.
Zuma who heads a non profit organisation called Mzansi Youth in Business, said a combination of his work in the community and the peaceful candidate selection process in the ANC had put him in a good position ahead of the elections.
“For the first time in while the comrades that did not get the nod from the selection process were part of the campaign with the ANC speaking in one voice while one of our opponents had court battles right up until the eve of the election,” Zuma said.
He acknowledged the task ahead of him and the limited time in which to consolidate ANC support with the 2026 local government elections less than 24 months away.
Responding to the election results MKP said it was encouraged by the numbers it had garnered, noting that it had a limited amount of time to prepare.