ANC veteran and former Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma says the ANC faces a difficult task convincing voters in eThekwini ahead of the November local government elections.
Her comments come as political parties and independent candidates have until 5pm today, August 28, to submit their candidate nominations to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
In an interview with The National this week, Dlamini Zuma acknowledged that the party’s chances of retaining eThekwini would be difficult given the challenges faced by the party. But she said that as party members they will try to convince people to vote for the party.
The ANC has governed eThekwini since the establishment of local government in 2000. However, in 2021, it lost its majority for the first time, only to be rescued by smaller parties that agreed to form a coalition with it.
The former African Union chairperson predicted an epic battle for the ANC in eThekwini.
“It is going to be tough but we must not lose hope. We will fight,” she concluded.
In eThekwini, the ANC is expected to face stiff competition from Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party which made considerable inroads in the 2024 general elections. The DA is also hoping for a good showing in eThekwini. This week, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis visited the city for the second time in a month to garner support.
In 2024, the ANC secured just 15.2% of the metro vote compared to the MK Party's 48.1% and the DA's 24.0%, according to IEC results.
Meanwhile the Electoral Commission of South Africa has said it would not accept candidate nominations beyond the 5pm deadline.
In a statement, the commission urged parties and candidates who intend to participate in the elections to ensure that their candidate nomination details are completed and submitted well ahead of the deadline.
The commission said the date and deadline was based on the election timetable which would not be changed nor be negotiated.
“This means the Online Candidate Nomination System (OCNS), will not be available for submissions beyond the cut-off time. Similarly, no political party or independent candidate will be allowed to enter the IEC Offices after 17h00 with the intention to submit candidate lists.”
willem.phungula@nationalmg.co.za