DA draws red line: ‘We will never partner with MK’ as Ipsos puts MK ahead in eThekwini

A new Ipsos poll has placed the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party as the frontrunner to win eThekwini outright, prompting clear rejection from the Democratic Alliance (DA) and signalling intense coalition manoeuvring ahead of November’s local government elections.

Poll puts MK on course in eThekwini

The latest Ipsos survey cited by IOL gives the MK Party an outright majority in eThekwini of 55%. The poll places the African National Congress (ANC) at 10% in the metro.

DA restates firm stance against MK

DA eThekwini mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen told IOL the local contest had effectively become “a two-horse race between MK and the DA, with the eThekwini mayor coming from either party.” Hoosen said the DA was concerned by the poll but questioned its sampling data.

On coalition talks, Hoosen was unequivocal.

“We will never partner with MK. That would be an absolute betrayal of our supporters,”

he said.

GPU partners and other rivals react

Insiders from the current Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) told IOL they would seek to continue working together to prevent MK from taking control or crossing the 50% threshold.

“Our goal is to keep the GPU working beyond this election, without MK,”

an IFP insider said.

The ANC dismissed the Ipsos poll in comments reported by IOL and insisted it would retain a powerful role in eThekwini, despite the poll’s 10% figure for the party.

MK says it remains confident

MK Party deputy president Duduzane Zuma told IOL the party was not concerned about rivals and that it “remain[s] confident about our outcomes, and we are working hard so that we can fulfil our electoral promises.”

MK provincial organiser Gobi Makhanya said the party was willing to speak to any political party except the DA.

“We are willing to speak to any political party except the DA.”

ActionSA and kingmaker talk

ActionSA’s eThekwini mayoral candidate Zwakele Mncwango warned the party could be a potential kingmaker and criticised past coalition decisions. He said ActionSA was prepared to talk to parties, including the DA, if its key conditions were accepted and added:

“We are willing to speak to any party including the DA if our key non-negotiable conditions are accepted. But we do not trust the DA.”

Why control of eThekwini matters

eThekwini is KwaZulu-Natal’s only metropolitan municipality and, according to IOL, manages a budget of approximately R70 billion. Control of the metro was described in the report as a significant political and economic prize ahead of the national elections.

As the November election approaches, the battle for eThekwini appears set to centre on whether rival parties can cooperate to stop MK or whether MK will secure enough support to govern the metro alone.