Even though the vote count isn’t yet complete, it appears that a changed political landscape is on the cards for KwaZulu-Natal.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party has emerged as an early frontrunner, ahead of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
The Electoral Commission in the province assessed that there were no major irregularities in the election in the province, although voting was delayed at some polling stations, mainly due to late delivery of voting material and problems with voter management devices.
MK party the frontrunner in KwaZulu-Natal:
Long queues
The election was marked by long queues in urban areas and in the townships of Durban, where voters eagerly waited to cast their ballots.
Thousands of voters waited for hours to cast their vote, with many voting long after voting hours were extended beyond the 9 pm cut-off time.
“The lines were very long I think I came here at 8 pm and ended up leaving at 4 am. It was crazy. Some people left but I’m glad that I ended up voting in the end,” a voter said.
“I didn’t vote. The lines were very long, and I couldn’t wait that long to vote, and it was stressful. We got there in the morning, we ended up leaving late and we didn’t even vote,” a non-voter lamented.
“I am very sad about not voting. It was my first time to vote I thought I would get the opportunity to make a change. I didn’t get that chance,” a voter explained.
Another non-voter said, “They said I am not registered but I did register I don’t know what happened. I feel so bad I’m not okay. I wanted to vote. it was my right.”
Analysing results trends so far in KwaZulu-Natal: Prof Bheki Mngomezulu
Arrest
The IEC in KwaZulu-Natal also confirmed the arrest of one of its officials in Pietermaritzburg over irregularities with a sealed ballot box.
Meanwhile, MK party members at Ladysmith organised early celebrations on Thursday, as news of the party’s gains in the area was announced.
“It’s a victory for the MK and this is only the beginning. We are confident that we will do well in other wards,” said Mthandeni Chonco, MK regional coordinator.
Analysts said the battle for control of the province, which might feature coalitions will be intense.
The Commission said they expected the province’s preliminary results to be announced on Sunday.
Law enforcement agencies in KwaZulu-Natal have urged all political parties and independent candidates in the province contesting the general elections, to abide by the Electoral Code of Conduct. The Director of Public Prosecutions in KZN, Elaine Harrison says a special team has been set aside to deal with election related matters.
The province accounts for most of the political violence that happens in South Africa, which occurs around election time as political assassinations increase.
Fifty-two parties will be contesting the elections nationally. Thirty-three are registered to contest in the province with one independent candidate. The IEC says the pledge ensures that political parties adhere to the code of conduct.
“The code of conduct reinforces tolerance and respect for diversity and the peaceful resolution and this is essential for the functioning of a healthy democracy and the fostering of trust between citizens and the elective representation. We know that political violence and intimidation can undermine the integrity of the electoral processes and deter citizens from exercising their right to vote but complying with the code political parties help prevent such incidents and contribute to a peaceful electoral environment,” says IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya.
Political leaders in the province have vowed to go to the polls peacefully.
“We undertake to promote political tolerance. We say this because we know that the entire world will be focusing on KZN. We pledge our commitment to conduct ourselves in a manner that respects and upholds the constitution of the republic,” says IFP’s Thami Ntuli.
“We commit to participating in this election with integrity and accepting the outcomes recognizing our commitment to unity which transcends political differences,” says DA’s Chris Pappas.
“We have capacitated all our fighters on the importance of peaceful campaigning, as well as dos and don’ts during the election period, we are confident we will execute this task with maximum discipline,” says EFF’s Mongezi Twala.
The new kids on the block uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) also committed to ensuring a free and fair election.
“As we sign this code of conduct, we seriously subject ourselves to its provisions and do so in the full knowledge that free and fair elections starts with us who contest in these elections,” says MK Party’s Nhlanhla Ngidi.
Party leaders were warned that law enforcement will take a no tolerance approach.
“One of the things that the prosecution has decided was that all the murder related cases which are election related will be dealt with by the organized crime units in KZN. Therefore, we are expecting that the political task team that was elected to work in KZN will closely work together with the organized crime with regards to all the murder-related cases,” says Elaine Harrison, Director of Public Prosecutions.
Seventeen thousand additional law enforcement officers will be deployed in hotspot areas across the province.
“Political leaders, yes, we have high risk zones because of you and the high-risk voting stations are a result of the people who don’t want to tolerate each other who violate each other’s rights as contained in the constitution. So, that forces us to increase the number of police officers in voting stations in order to prevent crime. Please give us space, we have a lot of criminals out there who are raping, stealing and killing. We should be focusing on those and not policing those who have a right to go and vote,” says Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KZN Provincial Commissioner.
The IEC says out of 27, 79 million people registered to vote in the country, KZN tails Gauteng with the highest number of voters.