The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party took KwaDukuza’s Ward 28 (Shakaskraal) in a landslide victory last week, granting the party its first seat in council.

MK’s Doeshiee Govender, the former African National Congress (ANC) councillor in the ward, won the by-election with 62.25% of the vote (1 392 out of 2 236 valid votes) last Wednesday.

The ANC’s New Mlondo followed with 35.42% (794 votes), while the Inkatha Freedom Party and Economic Freedom Fighters gained minimal support. Voter turnout was just under 60%.

Govender was elated with the win, remaining confident that the municipality would be run by the MK come the next elections.

The ANC blamed the non-participation of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA for the victory.

“We are aware there was an agreement for these two parties not to contest this ward. That gave MK an advantage. In 2026, this will not be the case. We believe the people of Ward 28 still have faith in the ANC, and we will continue to serve them despite this temporary setback,” said ANC regional spokesperson, Thandeka Mkhize.

This claim was denied by both DA iLembe political head, Sakhile Mngadi, and ActionSA iLembe regional chairperson, Nel Sewraj, who said they chose to focus on preparing for the 2026 local government elections.

In contrast, MK iLembe coordinator, Ntombifuthi Zulu, credited the African Transformation Movement (ATM) for backing their campaign.

“We commend the ATM for its decision to associate itself with the uMkhonto WeSizwe Party, this decision is not rhetorical as we have seen members of the ATM going out in full force to support MK in Ward 28,” said Zulu, who said the result was a sign of growing grassroots support.

“The distortion of the previous May election results will be corrected by the people in the local government elections. We welcome our councillor Govender who is joining Cllr Maphumulo and Cllr Madlala, both from the Lower South Coast, and Cllr Dlamini from Moses Mabhida, as our representatives in KZN,” said Zulu.

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