MK Party confident of Indian support as eThekwini coalition talks loom

The MK Party says it can win substantial support among Indian voters in KwaZulu-Natal

The MK Party says it can win substantial support among Indian voters in KwaZulu-Natal, while an analyst predicts that no party will secure an outright majority in eThekwini.

Political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu said the question on everyone’s minds now was - “Will the MKP get an outright majority in KZN?”

“It appears that the ANC is going to lose control of eThekwini. The MKP seems like it is going to get the largest number of votes in eThekwini. 

“However, the question now is if the MKP is going to get an outright majority. I expect to see a coalition in eThekwini.”

Ndovu said the Minority Front (MF) and 1860NIC Congress (NICC), which targeted the Indian vote, were competing with the Democratic Alliance (DA), for the Indian vote. 

“I expect the MF and NICC to get some votes but it is going to be tough. The MKP is going to get massive support from the ANC supporter base.

“The irony is that those who are fed up with the ANC are still going to vote for parties led by former ANC leaders. 

“Why people think parties led by former ANC leaders are the alternative is mind boggling. I doubt the MKP would get much support from minorities such as Indians, Coloureds and Whites. 

“Visvin Reddy is trying his best to win Indian votes for the MK Party. I see ActionSA also winning some votes based on its stance on immigration,” Ndlovu added.

Mkhanka Nunu Zuma, chairperson for the MKP in the eThekwini region, said they were confident of winning the Indian vote.

He said he was already actively involved in politics” when the DA displaced the MF in many Indian communities.”

He said at the time, the DA accused the MF of selling Indian votes to the ANC.

“Posters were put up across Indian and White communities, particularly in wards where the MF enjoyed support, promoting the message that the MF was working with the ANC and urging voters to support the DA instead.

“It is deeply painful that many members of the Indian community believed this propaganda and abandoned a party that had represented their interests for years.

“The DA was never simply opposed to the ANC because of poor service delivery. In my view, its political hostility was also driven by the growing cooperation between Black South Africans and Indian South Africans, which were communities that had been divided by the racial segregation laws of the apartheid white-supremacist government.

“The late servant of the people, Amichand Rajbansi, played a role in bringing these communities together through political cooperation. His political decisions must therefore be examined in their proper historical context rather than judged selectively for political convenience.”

Zuma said historical reports provide important context. 

“On April 18, 2004, Rajbansi indicated that the MF would support the winner of the provincial election. On April 19, 2004, he called for the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) to work together in the interests of KZN.

“By June 3, 2004, the MF was reported as participating in the provincial government arrangement involving the ANC and the IFP.

“These historical developments raise a serious question. If Rajbansi was wrong in the DA's view to support the ANC in forming a government in KZN, why should the DA and the IFP be treated differently when they subsequently agreed to work with the ANC?

“In the 2024 national and provincial elections, South Africans delivered a clear message that the ANC could no longer govern nationally with an outright majority. Yet the DA and the IFP entered into political cooperation with the ANC in the subsequent government arrangements.

“Why, then, should Rajbansi's decisions be condemned while similar political compromises by other parties are defended?”

“The Indian community, like every other community in South Africa, deserves honest political leadership, not political manipulation. Voters must look beyond campaign slogans, racial divisions and political propaganda. They must examine the historical record, the conduct of political parties and whether their actions are consistent with the principles they publicly promote.

“The legacy of the late Rajbansi deserves an honest and balanced historical assessment. His political decisions should not be judged by one standard while other parties are allowed to operate by another.

“This is why we believe that we will win the Indian vote, and win the most votes in KZN,” Zuma added.