Former president Jacob Zuma’s MK party was thrashed by all major parties in the Thabazimbi by-elections this week.
Huge attendances at public gatherings of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, including church visits by its leaders, could be misleading many to believe the party has growing support, an expert said.
The MK party was thrashed by all major parties in the Thabazimbi by-elections this week.
In the results announced on Thursday by Electoral Commission of South Africa in Limpopo, the ANC achieved 43.48% of the vote, which translated into 10 seats in the council followed by the DA at 17.39% with four seats and the EFF with three seats at 13.04%.
Thabazimbi by-elections thrashing: MK party gets single seat
MK was beaten even by the Labour Party of South Africa and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+), that obtained two seats each and 8.7% of the vote for both parties respectively, while MK got a single seat, just like the Thabazimbi Residents Association.
The results could put the ANC in a difficult situation unless it forged a coalition, most probably with the DA and FF+.
‘Big achievement’: Zuma Foundation slams MK party criticism
However, JG Zuma Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi said despite the criticism that MK did not perform well in Thabazimbi, the party had, in fact, done well because it contested there for the first time and visited it only one week before the polls.
He said for a party that basically started to operate this year, it was a big achievement that it managed to obtain a single seat in the Thabazimbi council.
Now, outside KwaZulu-Natal, the party boasts two council seats, including ward 45 in Marikana at Rustenburg local municipality in North West which the party took from the ANC.
“We thank the people of Thabazimbi for showing confidence in MK,” Manyi said. “We celebrate the victory even if it’s one seat because we had no structures there.”
‘Church visits campaign’
Regarding MK’s church visits campaign, Manyi said churches and traditional leadership were important to the party.
“MK sees itself as a government in waiting, we talk to all constituencies – be it church or traditional leaders. Traditional leaders occupy a special place in our heart because they are custodians of our land which we are fighting to be restored to the majority,” he said.
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By-elections a ‘barometer’ to measure MK growth
But political analyst Dr Levy Ndou said MK’s strength should be judged by its performance at unfamiliar territory outside of support base in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
Before the results were out, he said the Thabazimbi by-election results should be a barometer about whether MK was growing. Limpopo is an ANC stronghold where the party received 73% in the May elections.
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Role of religion in politics
Another analyst, Goodenough Mashego, said religion as a factor in politics was effective when it was associated with the liberation struggle.
“I don’t think going to church will work for MK because people are already committed to other organisations,” Mashego said.
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