The African National Congress (ANC) in the eThekwini region has announced they are aiming to regain lost ground in a bid to fully govern the metro municipality on KwaZulu-Natal’s east coast in the approaching polls. The ANC’s task team held a voter’s registration drive for its volunteers in Durban on Sunday afternoon.
Party Secretary General Fikile Mbalula and other ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) deployees to the province attended the gathering. In 2021, the ANC lost the outright majority in the municipality, which forced it co-govern with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), National Freedom Party (NFP) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). Electioneering for the much-anticipated local government elections is now well underway. Parties have started setting sights on municipalities of interests, with the only metro in KZN, eThekwini, highly targeted. The ANC, which has been running the municipality with the help of other parties for nearly four years, said it wants to its full control it again. Regional convenor for eThekwini Thabani Nyawose said, “On the election day, the 4th of November, we are going to collect 1.2 million votes for the ANC – that is an agreement we met with our structures and volunteers.”
He said that the party also plans to keep all ANC ran wards in the city.
Seeking to maintain control of the majority of municipalities in the country is the main goal for the ruling party. Although the ANC’s main wish is to maintain overall power nationally, the party has yet to offer anything new in terms of improving service delivery. In eThekwini, the influence of minor parties such as the EFF, NFP and IFP can slowly increase if they can get their act together. The Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) party is looking to gain a majority in this election and take the mayor’s office. MK owes its current base of voters to the endorsement of its current leader and former ANC stalwart, former President Jacob Zuma. The question remains; what alternative can any party, standing for a local council seat offer? What can any party offer as an alternative to combat crime? How will they alleviate poverty and the matter of the drug trade?
The ANC if it wants to expand its majority will have to take a good hard look at its manifesto.
The bold declaration by the (ANC) party comes as political experts have warned that the MKP is likely to take control of the municipality. Political expert Prince Mashele predicted on social media recently that the MKP will govern eThekwini with an outright majority after the November 4 local government elections. But speaking at an ANC gala on Saturday, the ANC speaker at the eThekwini municipality, Thabani Nyawose, said they intend to regain full control of the municipality. The ANC hosted the gala at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.
The ANC is in a precarious position as regard to regaining its majority in the Metro Municipality of eThekwini Region. First of all, the municipality is facing numerous administrative hurdles in regard to how to pay its civil servants when it comes to setting up a new electronic system, the rise in crime and poverty do not help matters. On the other had the rise of the MK party under Zuma despite his fall from grace during his tenure as South African state and ANC President does not help matters.
The people of eThekwini region and Metro will have to make a decision in relation to determining which party or parties are best representative of transparency and accountability as well as service delivery. After all democracy begins from the grass roots at the local level.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
