MK Party takes three KZN councils and leads eThekwini count

The MK Party led by Jacob Zuma is pulling ahead in KwaZulu-Natal’s local government elections, according to IOL. Results from the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) show that it has won three rural councils outright and is ahead in 11 other municipalities. The ANC has dropped to third place in the province.

Just after 7am on Friday, counting in KwaZulu-Natal stood at 66%. Nationally it had passed 70%.

Where MK has won control

MK secured absolute majorities in Richmond, iMpendle and the Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma municipality. Richmond has been an ANC heartland for decades. MK got 56.27% support there, giving it ten seats, while the ANC took five seats on 30.15%.

In iMpendle, MK won six seats with 42.61%, and the ANC got two seats with 26.37%. In Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, MK took 14 seats with 47.84%.

Across KwaZulu-Natal, MK has 34.63% of ballots counted so far, which is 1,266,117 votes and 243 council seats. Nationally, it holds third place behind the ANC and the DA with a 9.01% share and 290 seats.

eThekwini and the other parties

In the eThekwini metro, MK leads with 43.69%. The DA is second on 20.93%, and the ANC has fallen to 16.77%.

The IFP is second in the province with 22.27% and 166 seats, and it leads in three municipalities. The ANC has 21.59%, or 789,336 votes, and has not won a single council outright. The DA has 11.62% provincially and held on to uMngeni with 61.24%. The EFF has 1.76% and ten seats.

Of the province’s 44 municipalities, 13 have produced hung councils, and the outcome in 28 is still to be calculated.

What analysts say

Zakhele Ndlovu, a political analyst from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, told IOL that MK’s showing was remarkable given the changes the party has been through since the 2024 general election. He put much of its support down to Zuma’s lasting appeal, calling it the “Zuma effect”.

Ndlovu said attention would now turn to eThekwini, where the question is whether MK can win an outright majority or must bring in other parties to govern. He added that the figures suggest the EFF and ActionSA are still struggling in KwaZulu-Natal, while the IFP has kept hold of its rural strongholds.

What this means for residents

These figures are not final, and counting continues. Where councils are hung, parties will need to agree on who governs before decisions on local services can be made. Residents can follow the final results on the IEC’s results system.

This story is based on reporting by IOL.