MK party short on cash but Zuma may lean on grassroots tactics, analyst says

The MK party is showing signs of a stretched campaign budget ahead of local government elections, and political observers say leader Jacob Zuma may not follow a conventional, cash-heavy campaign playbook. According to The Citizen, volunteers and the party’s former spokesperson raised concerns about limited resources at voter registration sites in Johannesburg.

Volunteers report lack of visible campaign material

The Citizen spoke to some MK party volunteers at a voter registration site in Johannesburg on Saturday. They complained about a lack of resources, while other parties had marquees and campaign material.

Former MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela told the media that

“it did not even have posters out on the voter registration weekend.”

Calls for a fundraising-focused treasurer-general

Ndhlela told media there is

“an over-reliance on funding from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the party’s sustenance.”

He said:

“We need a treasurer-general who can focus on fundraising and not just on the money that we get from the IEC. … The treasurer-general role must actually be a fundraiser”

and suggested the MK party

“must form a type of ‘institution’ or think tank that international donors can fund.”

The Citizen reached out to MK party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu for comment. This story will be updated as soon as it is received, The Citizen reported.

Analyst: grassroots mobilisation and unconventional tactics

Political analyst Andre Duvenhage told The Citizen the MK party

“may not need a conventional approach to campaign for the local government elections. … they are going to the grassroots level”

and is capitalising on current instability.

Duvenhage told The Citizen he believes the party is

“definitely part of these xenophobic tendencies,”

and that it is

“part of the broader process to destabilise South Africa.”

He also warned that there may be

“other strategies like intimidation, violence and confrontation”

and said the party is

“going unconventional, they are going the anti-system way.”

Questions remain about early funding

Duvenhage told The Citizen that

“it is still not clear how Zuma received funding to get his party off the ground in 2023”

and added that

“we know that Russia and Russian intelligence were implicated, as well as Iran and other states.”

What this means for the vote

With visible shortages of posters and campaign material reported at registration sites, The Citizen’s reporting shows the MK party is confronting financial constraints ahead of local polls. Analysts quoted by The Citizen say those constraints may push the party toward grassroots and unconventional tactics rather than traditional, money-driven campaigning.