Sabelo Says ANC Has Reclaimed Ground Lost to Zuma’s MK Party

African National Congress (ANC) eThekwini Task Team Coordinator Thanduxolo Sabelo has dismissed recent opinion polls that predict a heavy drop in support for the party in eThekwini, the only metropolitan municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. The polls were released ahead of the municipal elections on 4 November.

Sabelo reacted after several tracking surveys, including recent releases by MarkData and local pollsters, suggested that voters in the metro are turning strongly against the ANC. According to the polling data, Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party is leading in eThekwini with about 48% of the vote. The Democratic Alliance (DA) is in second place with around 25%, while the ANC is third with between 14% and 18%. Analysts link the projected decline to voter anger over ongoing water supply problems, unfinished flood recovery work and political paralysis in the city council.

Sabelo rejected the accuracy of the figures. He argued that pre-election polls usually underestimate the ANC’s organisation on the ground, its ability to mobilise supporters and the strength of its door-to-door campaign in Durban’s densely populated townships and rural wards. He said the party has closed the gap and won back ground it lost to the MK Party after the May 2024 general elections. In his view, a major restructuring of party branches, along with targeted interventions by the national executive in provincial infrastructure projects, has restored voter confidence and brought energy back to the party’s traditional supporters.

The dispute over the polls shows how much is at stake in eThekwini. Control of the municipality’s multi-billion-rand budget could depend on difficult coalition talks after the vote if no party wins an outright majority on 4 November. Opposition parties see the polls as proof of a lasting shift in KwaZulu-Natal politics, while the ANC leadership insists that its campaign on the ground will defy the surveys and keep the coastal metro under its control.

Polls only measure opinion at a particular moment, and the real picture will only be clear once the votes are counted.

https://x.com/ewnreporter/status/2115503342143369691

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