The MK Party: where is the substance?
While the six-month-old party stormed its way up the electoral ranks to become the third-biggest in the National Assembly, its performance in recent by-elections would have disappointed it
The MK Party’s electoral juggernaut may have been brought to an abrupt halt by recent local government by-elections, with the party winning just one seat in the wards it contested. And it could be headed for further stormy weather if it fails to build party structures and develop a compelling narrative beyond that of court action and the Jacob Zuma personality cult, analysts say.
Zuma’s party stormed onto the political stage in the May 29 elections, winning just over 4.5-million votes to become the third-biggest party in the National Assembly, with 58 seats. At provincial level, its 1.6-million votes in KwaZulu-Natal won it 45.9% support, making it the single biggest party in that legislature (even if it has been forced to cede power to a government of provincial unity comprising the IFP, the ANC, the DA and the NFP). ..
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