Dylan Bettencourt
King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo made it clear that he wanted the AbaThembu to vote for the EFF, but the nation ignored his instruction as the ANC continued to dominate the Eastern Cape.
The king appeared alongside EFF leader Julius Malema to urge the nation to vote for the EFF to teach the ANC a lesson.
However, all three major AbaThembu territories have voted for the ruling party to remain in power.
In the major municipality of Ngcobo, the ANC won all 20 wards while also securing 32 seats in the council. The EFF and the UDM won two seats while the DA, ATM and the PAC all got one seat each.
EFF spokesperson Mthunzi Ngonyama said the party did not do as they expected because the king was not given enough time to convince the nation to vote for the EFF.
“You cannot expect the king to turn the people within a week, but I would like to think the EFF has performed better than the previous time. Also, the king’s statement was a national pronouncement not only meant for AbaThembu residing in KSD,” he said.
“AbaThembu are scattered across the country and even in KZN, Gauteng and Cape Town. The king made an impact nationally,” he said.
Ngonyama added that although the king’s instruction was broadcast live on television and received major attention on social media, the order never reached the elderly because they do not have smartphones or televisions.
During the EFF’s campaign, their stop with the king saw Malema give him a cow as well as promise Dalindyebo a brand-new Mercedes ML SUV worth R1.5 million.
The Eastern Cape looks set to be dominated by the ANC once again as the party leads the province with 64.12% of the overall vote, with the DA getting 14.51% and the EFF receiving just 7.9% of the vote.
Image source: @Briefly
