• The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal says it views the decision of the people to dump the ANC for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party as a “protest”. 
• Provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele told the media on Saturday that the organisation was committed to “self-correcting” after losing the province. 
• His comments come after the provincial structure failed to meet the 70% outright majority that President Cyril Ramaphosa demanded during a recent Siyanqoba rally. 

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has begrudgingly conceded defeat after it was left with a bloody nose following Wednesday’s general election results, which saw its support in the province dip below 50%.

As at Saturday morning, the once mighty provincial structure had secured 594 959 votes and was sitting at 17% support. The ANC retained the province in 2019, securing 54.22% of the vote, which was a significantly reduced majority from the 2014 election.

Speaking for the first time since losing the majority in the province, provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele on Saturday said:

This starkly contrasted what he told News24 on Thursday morning as results slowly started trickling in.

“It’s too early,” he said after the IEC board clearly showed that former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party was in the lead to govern the province.

READ | ‘Charismatic, down-to-earth, relatable’: How Zuma charmed masses to topple ANC in KwaZulu-Natal

News24 reported that there were some visibly dejected faces at the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) results operating centre (ROC) in Durban on the first day of counting.

On its brightly lit floor, political figures looked disappointed, either by the result or the slow pace of counting. Some smaller parties did not bother showing up, while MK Party delegates appeared to be walking with a spring in their step.

The KZN ANC’s leaders were a no-show, despite provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo telling News24 last year that about 4 000 activists in eThekwini would help lead the party to victory and that he would personally be at the ROC to observe the result.

Two weeks ago, party elders and senior leaders warned that having “weak” leadership in that province may cost the party its most crucial election since 1994.  

The emergence of what was dubbed the Taliban faction at the ninth provincial elective conference in Durban’s Olive Convention Centre secured KZN for party president Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of the national elective conference in 2022, bringing about the winds of change in the province. 

But nearly three years on, service delivery is at an all-time low while party leaders dominated headlines for all the wrong reasons, including a mic-grabbing incident that fractured an already fraught relationship with the AmaZulu monarch in March.

In addition, Zuma decided to turn his back on the party and campaign for the MK Party.

READ | Elections 2024: ANC will not have ‘battered nose’ after elections, says emboldened Ramaphosa

The province has certainly taken a beating despite Ramaphosa’s assurance during the campaign trail that “the ANC will not be left with a battered nose” after the elections.

Echoing what party national chairperson Gwede Mantashe said earlier this week, Mndebele told journalists that the MK Party’s sweep in the province came as a surprise.

“We were not expecting this. I think we must be honest that there was serious dissatisfaction with our people, and the message is now quite clear. What the ANC leadership must do now is not to view this as a defeat, but we must view this as a clear message that something must be done.

“We must not only speak against corruption; we must be seen acting against corruption. We must not only speak about service delivery. We must be seen delivering to our people. The ANC remains, by and large, the hope of the people, and the ANC must continue to work.”

READ | Mantashe surprised by MK Party support in KZN, but still believes ANC will win 50% of national vote

Mndebele attributed the “protest vote” to the ANC’s failure to address service delivery, particularly in the eThekwini metro, corruption, and the lack of implementation of the renewal agenda.

“If you are an organisation as big and complex as the ANC, you must do things accordingly and ensure that you maintain integrity, and I do not view this as the work of one individual.

“We view this outcome as a protest from our people, and what the ANC must not do is enter into a witch-hunt, but it must self-correct, and that is what we commit ourselves to.”

Mndebele said the important thing now was to ensure that there was stability in the province and “to defend the economy and our people”.

“As the ANC, we remain positive, and we can assure our people that there will be stability, our economy will be defended, and our country, particularly our province, will continue to rise,” he said. 

READ | ‘We are worried’: Senior ANC leaders concerned over perceived ‘weak’ leadership in KZN

On coalition talks, Mndebele said: “Look, let us not mention political parties individually but we are talking to other people and, remember, we are not desperate at maintaining government.

“But the benchmark is about stability. There are greater concerns now when you view MK, and our worry as the ANC is their understanding of government and how they behave.

“For example, you might have heard that they are now disputing the entire election result, and before the elections, they could not understand that there are strong rooms where ballot papers are kept. Those are people that make us worry, and when you discuss, you would rather discuss with people who are going to maintain the integrity of governance.”

He said governance was not about sloganeering but “a complex issue of resolving issues of the plight of the people”.

READ | ‘Damage control’ mode: KZN ANC moves to quell tensions in wake of Duma’s mic-grabbing ‘hullabaloo’

Mndebele denied that the controversial mic-grabbing incident in KwaCeza in March cost the ANC votes.

He was referring to an incident where ANC provincial chair Siboniso Duma – who was programme director at the 110th anniversary event – in his capacity as the economic development, tourism, and environmental affairs MEC – yanked the microphone from the podium while AmaZulu Prime Minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi was introducing King Misuzulu KaZwelithini.

Buthelezi, who doubles as the IFP’s Zululand District mayor, had ventured into politics while wearing his prime minister’s cap, raising the ire of the ANC’s provincial chairperson, who swiftly grabbed the mic from its stand.

Mndebele said: “I think you are taking matters too far in that regard. Allow the ANC to explain itself: Thulasizwe Buthelezi is a (IFP) politician, and he will be responded to as a politician. Remember, he is not royalty or from the monarchy, and there is a difference between that and commoners.”

He maintained that the ANC respected King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and Amakhosi (chiefs).

“Politicians must not use traditional institutions against the movement. That is our view as the ANC and we will remain steadfast on it. This is a matter of principle,” he said.