By Celani Sikhakhane
Desperate to win its first by-election in KwaZulu-Natal, Julius Malema’s EFF slaughtered two cattle for its potential voters in a Newcastle ward.
The people ate the beef – but went on to vote for the resurgent IFP.
It’s the latest demonstration of how voters can see through stunts like these, including free T-shirts and food parcels.
Since the last municipal elections, the IFP now runs most of the municipalities in KZN having won hung municipalities through its coalition with the DA.
In a highly contested by-election in Pongola in Zululand, the IFP beat the ANC, the uMkhonto Wesizwe party and the EFF to retain Ward 2 on Wednesday.
The party also snatched an ANC ward in Newcastle to consolidate its push to win back a province it ran for 10 years.
The two-month-old MK party slashed the ANC support by 9% while the IFP dropped by 13% in the Ncotshana village poll.
Despite filling up Moses Mabhida Stadium last Saturday to prove its popularity in KZN, the EFF walked away with just 2% of the vote in the Pongola by-election.
MK national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela told Scrolla.Africa the results show that the people of Zululand are ready to be liberated by the MK.
“Zululand is one of the most difficult regions in KwaZulu-Natal. To make inroads there shows that people are fed up with the ANC and they are also leaving the parties they defected to after dumping the ANC,” said Ndlela.
“They went to those parties because they didn’t have any option after leaving the ANC. That is why they are now finding their real home in the MKP.”
IFP got 36%, the ANC 33%, MK 28% and EFF 2% in Pongola.
In the Western Cape, Gayton McKenzie’s Patriotic Alliance shocked the DA when it won the previously DA-controlled Ward 8 in George.
A week ago the PA coalition took over Bitou Municipality in Plettenberg Bay and vowed to remove the DA from George.
After Wednesday’s victory, McKenzie said: “Coloured voters in the Western Cape have woken up to the racist Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape. We will remove them and their bought media including the fake pollsters from the face of the Western Cape politics.”
The PA received 1,272 votes compared to the DA’s 671 and the ANC’s 50 votes in the ward.
Pictured above: IFP.
Image source: X
