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- Former president Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto we Sizwe Party is proving to be a serious contender in by-elections ahead of the general elections.
- The MKP mounted a formidable challenge in the local polls on Wednesday in Mpumalanga.
- This came against the backdrop of an impressive run in two by-elections in KwaZulu-Natal.
In its debut by-election in Mpumalanga, former president Jacob Zuma's-backed uMkhonto weSizwe Party managed to clinch the second position, outperforming the IFP and EFF.
The by-election, which was won by the ANC, took place in Ward 4 of the Govan Mbeki Municipality, under the Gert Sibande district, on Wednesday.
The ward position became available after ANC councillor Simphiwe Sindelo and another person were shot dead in December 2023.
The ward has a small, registered voter base of 2 558, and two voting districts.
The ANC retained the ward by attracting 1 086 of the votes or 50.84%, while MKP attained 598 votes or 28%.
The EFF only managed 194 votes, or 9.08%, while the IFP convinced only 27 of voters, or 1.2%, in the ward.
Singukukhanya Kwezwe Christian Party got five votes and the Truth and Solidarity Movement recorded zero votes, meaning even its candidate Sabelo Nkosi didn't vote for it.
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The MKP's second place signals an upward trajectory.
Pollsters have already predicted a strong showing for the party in KwaZulu-Natal.
The party's results in Mpumalanga come against the backdrop of the party's strong showing in KwaZulu-Natal by-elections recently.
In mid-February, in a by-election in uPhongolo's Ward 2, previously an IFP fortress, Zuma's party attracted an impressive 687 votes of the 2 446 total.
The IFP, though, won 890 votes or 36.39% of the total count - a significant nosedive from the 48.37% win in the 2021 local government elections.
In a Ward 8 by-election in the AbaQulusi Municipality in early February, another IFP stronghold, the MKP picked up 211 of the 1 085 votes.
The winning party, the IFP, went on to take 505 votes compared to the ANC's 336. The EFF picked up 13 votes.
In a congratulatory message on X, formerly Twitter, following it's showing in the by-elections in Mpumalanga, the MKP claimed it was "the only choice for the people".
The X post read:
News24 recently reported on the Social Research Foundation's (SRF) poll finding that the ANC's support in KwaZulu-Natal could drop to 25%, down from 54% in the 2019 general elections.
In contrast, the MKP, launched by Zuma in Soweto in December, polled at 24% - a signal that the party is eating into the ANC's base in the province.
The same poll found that the MKP tracked at 28% on the province-to-national ballot.
This means the MKP could have representation in the National Assembly after the 29 May election.
