ANC booted out as MK Party grabs total control of KZN municipality with 56% landslide

With 56% of the vote, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party will govern KwaZulu-Natal’s Richmond Local Municipality independently. With that percentage, the party has a stranglehold on the council and can govern independently.

An outright majority is a noteworthy outcome for a municipality that has frequently been led through changing coalitions. Coalition agreements are commonly used to elect a mayor and pass budgets in South Africa’s local government system when there is no clear winner in the council election. Several towns have witnessed governing partnerships dissolve within months, demonstrating how precarious such arrangements can be. Although the new leadership will have more leeway to establish priorities with a one-party majority, they will also be fully responsible for seeing those priorities through, the uncertainty is greatly reduced.

Speaking for the MK Party in KwaZulu-Natal, Mkhuseli Mlengane stated that the victory in Richmond marks the beginning of a larger campaign throughout the province. While results are coming in, he said, additional gains are anticipated in other areas.

Located between Pietermaritzburg and the Drakensberg foothills, Richmond is a town in KwaZulu-Natal’s Midlands region. It has the same issues with water supply, road maintenance, electrification gaps, and the need to create jobs for young residents as many other rural and semi-urban municipalities in the province. The performance of the incoming administration in meeting these necessities, rather than its campaign pledges, will determine the outcome of the election.

The outcome is indicative of a larger political shift in KwaZulu-Natal. Voters in the province who have lost faith in the ANC have given the MK Party, which was founded in late 2023 and is led by former president Jacob Zuma, a significant boost. With its strong showing in the 2024 federal and provincial elections, the party hinted at its potential to challenge for local power; this result implies that this promise has been fulfilled.

People living in the area will be keeping a careful eye out for any indications of the practicality of a one-party administration. How the newly elected council interacts with citizens and ratepayers, how soon it fills important positions, and whether it unveils a transparent strategy for service delivery are all crucial concerns. These kinds of concrete details often determine who wins local elections; in the months to come, we will see whether the mandate actually produces the desired results.

While other municipal results are confirmed, the Richmond result stands as a clear statement from voters and will likely shape political debate across the province.

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