McKenzie’s PA surges in Eastern Cape as IFP strengthens KZN dominance

Patriotic Alliance president Gayton McKenzie, who is also the minister of sports, arts and culture.

• The Patriotic Alliance’s meteoric rise in the Eastern Cape’s by-elections continues.
• Gayton McKenzie’s party snatched three wards in that province in seven months, while the IFP consolidated its support in Nongoma this week.
• The IFP contested and lost wards in the Eastern Cape, but its leaders are happy about increased voter numbers there.

The Patriotic Alliance has continued to grow its electoral support in the Eastern Cape, making gains at the expense of the ANC and the DA in the latest by-elections.

Three Eastern Cape wards went to the polls on Wednesday – Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality, Buffalo City Metro, and the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality – with 18 487 registered voters between them, according to the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC).

The latest by-elections come against the backdrop of the PA securing its historic first ward in the Eastern Cape by toppling the ANC in its Kou-Kamma Local Municipality stronghold in September last year.

The PA’s victory in Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality this week will be particularly sweet for Gayton McKenzie’s party, underscoring its growing inroads into traditional ANC and DA strongholds in the region. In November, the PA also snatched Ward 9 in Kou-Kamma from the ANC, with its candidate Michael Hartz securing 44% of the vote.

In the latest polls, the PA’s Nathan Jacobs continued on this trajectory, sweeping 40.19% of the vote (1 000 votes) in Dr Beyers Naudé Municipality’s Ward 7, situated in the Karoo.

READ | Patriotic Alliance secures historic first ward in Eastern Cape, topples ANC stronghold

This by-election came against the fresh backdrop of a heated debate about the name change of Graaf-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town, which sparked latent racial tensions in the town.

The DA has led the opposition to the name change, citing apparent irregularities, such as a lack of public participation and transparency.

McKenzie, who is also the national minister of sport, arts and culture, is accused of railroading the name change.

The ANC, which has now lost the seat, had initiated the name-change process.

The DA secured 34.08% or 848 votes, and the ANC 19.37% or 482 votes.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Cape, in Buffalo City’s Ward 32, the ANC dominated in all the 18 voting districts and won by 80.03% or 3 291 votes, followed by the EFF’s 11.55% or 475 votes.

All the other parties, which included the IFP, shared 4.26% or 175 votes.

In the far east of the Eastern Cape, at the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality’s Ward 14 by-election, the ANC showed its electoral prowess over its alliance partner, the SACP.

The ANC’s Nceba Mtyana won 63.05% or 1 329 votes, compared to the SACP’s 11.76% or 248 votes, and the ATM’s 11.01% or 232 votes.

READ | Eastern Cape ANC battles declining membership with 300 branches in crisis

Meanwhile, the IFP consolidated its grip in the Nongoma Local Municipality, where two by-elections were held in Ward 7 and Ward 20.

In Ward 20, the IFP won 46.69% of the votes. The MK Party followed with 26.22%.

In Ward 7, the IFP took 54.65% or 1 280 votes compared to the MK Party’s 20.88% or 489 votes.

IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa analysed the win as a “major blow” to the NFP, which has had a few resignations in the municipality owing to internal fights.

The IFP has been in a power-sharing arrangement in Nongoma with the EFF, which has two seats, and the National African People’s Front, which has a single seat.

Now that the IFP holds 23 of the 45 seats, it may no longer need the red berets.

Hlengwa said the IFP’s performance was a “strong showing” that underscored party’s “growing electoral momentum and continued voter confidence”.

The IFP secured another victory in the Abaqulusi Local Municipality’s Ward 12, where it received 1 628 votes.

IFP’s national ambition
Previously considered a regional party, the IFP contested Buffalo City’s Ward 32 and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality’s Ward 14 in the Eastern Cape this week.

While it failed to secure a ward, its gains were noticeable.

Hlengwa said this signalled a “growing national appeal”.

Hlengwa said:

“The party now governs 19 municipalities with outright majorities, reflecting rising public confidence in its leadership and governance model.

“These results send a clear political message: South Africans are increasingly placing their trust in the IFP as a credible alternative for stable, accountable governance.”