MK party smells blood in KZN: Supporters stage mock funeral for ANC [VIDEO]

Although the final election results are only expected over the weekend, Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party is faring surprisingly well for a fledgling party, ranking in the top five nationally.

As of the latest update from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Thursday evening, the former president’s party was leading the pack on the election battleground in KwaZulu-Natal with 43.5%.

KZN ballot: ANC ‘punished’ at the polls by MK party

African National Congress (ANC) chairperson Gwede Mantashe conceded on Thursday that they were “punished” at the polls by the MK party in the province.

“But they are not going to do that in other provinces… We are going to do well in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Free State, and we are doing relatively well in the North West,” Mantashe added.

ALSO READ: MK party continues to take significant lead in KZN as election results roll in

WATCH: MK party’s mock funeral for the ANC

As the IEC tallies the votes, MK party supporters held a mock funeral for the ANC in Manguzi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday.

A video clip of the “funeral procession”, which was posted on social media, showed several people carrying a coffin draped in a cloth featuring the ANC colours.

MK party: No coalition with ‘Ramaphosa’s ANC’ – Duduzile

Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, told journalists at the national results centre that her father had indicated he was open to working with “progressive black parties”.

She, however, said it did not include the ANC, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Zuma-Sambudla said the MK party was not surprised at its electoral performance, just six months after her father announced he would be fronting it.

It’s something we have been working toward. We are not shocked.

ANC tracking below 50% on national ballot

Preliminary national results had the ANC leading with 42.92%, although projections indicate that the party has lost support across the nine provinces. 

“The broad church of the ANC has taken a substantial knock. This is a shock to the system for the ANC and ultimately will also be a shock to the system for the average South African, who has only known ANC rule since 1994,” political analyst Daniel Silke told AFP.

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