WATCH: EFF says hope not lost after Zuma’s MK party overtakes it

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) treasurer-general Omphile Maotwe said the party is happy with the votes that it has received so far.

This is despite former President Jacob Zuma’s newly formed uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party performing strongly in the national and provincial elections. On Friday, the MK party moved past the Red Berets as the third most popular party in the country behind the African National Congress (ANC) and Democratic Alliance (DA).

LIVE interactive map, latest news, multimedia and more!

View Map

With the final election results expected to be announced on Sunday, the MK party is performing strongly in the national and provincial elections, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, where it garnered double the amount of ANC votes.

Watch Omphile Maotwe speaking about not losing hope and more votes to come in

TG @OmphileMaotwe in conversation with @Newzroom405 on the current status of results, and the possible scenarios considering the total valid votes counted. pic.twitter.com/BJRteKGHZo

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) May 31, 2024

Hope not lost

Maotwe said the EFF is expecting good results once all the ballots are counted.

“The black majority’s votes have not come in. So, the VD’s (voting districts) that are still going to come are the black in the main which are the biggest VD’s and they are found in the townships…Our votes are still coming and you will see the picture changing.

“We are quite happy with the progress that we are making because we know where these votes are coming. Our strongholds, VD’s with the big numbers in the main which are the people who are voting for the EFF also, are still coming,” Maotwe said.

With the EFF yet to breach the one million ballot mark, Maotwe said hope was not lost.

ALSO READ: Zuma’s MK party slams claims that Zulu tribalism is reason for election success

MK third largest opposition

Meanwhile, political analyst Sanusha Naidoo said Zuma’s MK party may become the third-largest opposition party in the country.

Naidoo said the MK party could become a significant player in South Africa’s political landscape, adding that it had been marginalised by other parties including the governing ANC, Zuma’s former political home.

“When you look at the top five parties in order, the thing that’s interesting for me is that you’ve got this third, fourth and fifth place between MK, EFF and PA. But what’s really interesting is, there may be, if the trend continues, this interesting dynamic emerging where the MK will become the third largest opposition party in the country,” Naidoo said.

ALSO READ: Zuma’s MK party may become third-largest opposition in SA, says analyst