informing the committee of strike action by the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) The strike action relates to the grading of the municipality a function that falls outside of the mandate of council to ratify with the process being negotiated at a national level We recognise that this process of grading has taken far too long and is creating huge dissatisfaction amongst staff and we sympathise with all employees of KwaDukuza irrespective of their union or non-union affiliation The progress reports surrounding grading and the process thereof has served before the Local Labour Forum and was subsequently accepted by both unions We are therefore curious about the intention of SAMWU to disrupt services to the people of KwaDukuza for an indefinite period and further question whether SAMWU have put adequate pressure on their national negotiators to fast track this process The noticeable absence of the ceremonial first citizen of KwaDukuza,Mayor Ali Ngidi, from the sitting of EXCO raises further questions. We are reminded of the public utterances made by Mayor Ngidi, on 28 February 2025, reaffirming that the issue of grading has been resolved. We further note the social media photos of the mayor with members of SAMWU (attached here) we are cautioning councillors and officials against making promises to workers that are outside of the competence of council in order to further their political ambitions must be reminded that their six-month tenure of controversy and scandal has resulted in instability and reputational damage to KwaDukuza we have noted the resistance from administration to submit a comprehensive security plan that speaks to the protection of employees who will not be participating in the strike As such,we do not support any strike action which could lead to the destabilization of the external negotiating processes that are underway The Democratic Alliance in KwaDukuza will be announcing in the coming days the action steps we will be undertaking to hold the political leadership and the senior management who have enabled them Democratic Alliance, registered non profit organisation in South AfricaReg No: 011-895 NPO Sections The ANC-run KwaDukuza local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal is embroiled in a fresh scandal after leaked invoices show that it pays R173 068.61 every month to a controversial Durban-based security company to guard the home of its equally controversial mayor Pro-Secure is contracted to guard Ali Ngidi’s home in the Nkobongo township outside KwaDukuza the security companies provide 10 security guards to guard the home 24/7 Five of the armed guards work during the day and the other five work during the night That excludes the other five bodyguards from another security company who walk around with the mayor wherever he goes The company named CPO charges R35 000 every month for each security provided the municipality pays R175 000 (excluding VAT) to CPO to guard the mayor Ngidi has around 15 bodyguards who are assigned to guard him And they are paid for by the municipality that has been rocked by allegations of corruption in the past few months Pro Secure charges R18 677 53 for each security guard provided Also for the guard who is always on standby to relieve those on leave She said that the company that renders security services was appointed through a competitive bidding process “The decision to deploy security personnel at the mayor’s residence was taken after a number of security threats that were observed Some of these threats have resulted in cases being opened at the local police station There are other councillors whose security situation demands that they have the same arrangement in their places of residence Those bills are paid from the same account,” she said she refused to disclose the number of bodyguards Ngidi has “Please note that it is not our practice to discuss security details (total no of guards) of political principals to the public for their safety reasons.” Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content  Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Tel: +27 11 268 6300 Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms & conditions and privacy policy KwaZulu-Natal Premier Honourable Thamsanqa Ntuli joined thousands of mourners to bid farewell to Ms Dumisile Manana-Mthalane co-founder of the legendary maskandi group Imithente at an emotional funeral ceremony that celebrated her life an.. 27 April 2025 - The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government under the leadership of Premier Honourable Thamsanqa Ntuli As South Africa prepares to mark 31 years of freedom KwaZulu-Natal Premier Honourable Thamsanqa Ntuli led a poignant tribute to one of the nation’s greatest icons by laying wreaths at his gravesite in Groutvill.. 27 April 2025 - As South Africa prepares to mark 31 years of freedom KwaZulu-Natal Premier Honourable Thamsanqa Ntuli led a poignant tr.. today tabled the Office of the Premier's 2025/26 Budget Vote in the Provincial Legislature under the theme “.. tabled a set of Parliamentary resolutions during a landmark Interfaith Symposium held in Glencoe under the Umzinya.. spent Good Friday in deep spiritual reflection and solidarity with communities of faith across the province The investigation relates to the irregular intervention of municipal officials in multiple tenders the controversial road rehabilitation panels We are calling on all those that are persons of interest to fully cooperate with the investigative process must immediately present a report to full council to appraise the new term of council on this investigation those that are still employed within KwaDukuza and in any other organ of state must be held fully accountable The days of the supply chain department being used as a playground for politically connected individuals must come to an end Njabulo Cele (ANC) that were elected today during a Full Council Sitting The election comes a week after Councillor Lindile Nhaca was ousted by her own party The ANCs infighting has left departments unable to function and deliver services to residents We are therefore calling on both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to lead with conviction and boldness get the municipality to function again for the benefit of the people of KwaDukuza We further note that position of Action SA and the IFP who voted with the ANC under the mask of “stability” This is despite ActionSA last week voting against the ANC’s motion to remove the Mayor The DA will continue to hold the ANC accountable before the 2026 Local Government Election when they will be removed registered non profit organisation in South AfricaReg No: 011-895 NPO Home | Politics Residents of Ward 28 in KwaDukuza on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast say they want a councillor that will ensure they get basic services such as running water and electricity People are complaining about water and electricity outages in this local municipality The municipality been struggling with in-fighting and has had a forensic investigation launched into its financial management These residents have braved rainy weather to cast their vote The ward became vacant when Vishnugopal Govender resigned as ANC ward councillor and is now contesting the by-election as an MK Party candidate The IFP and EFF have also put up candidates We need proper lighting in the area and proper control of different types of criminal activities that takes place within the residents of this ward 2 I need water to come to each and every house they should tell us if they want us to pay for the services.” Home | South Africa The Mayor of the KwaDukuza Local Municipality, Muzi Ngidi, has expressed shock following the death of nine people in a horrific bus accident on the N2 near Mandeni The accident happened between Mandeni and Stanger The 88-seater bus is believed to have plummeted down a steep embankment after a tyre burst The bus was ferrying church members of the Twelve Apostles in Trinity from Richards Bay to Shaka’s Kraal near KwaDukuza Ngidi says it is worrying that accidents of this nature are a common occurrence on the N2 between KwaDukuza and Mandeni He says the municipality will reach out and assist the families of the deceased “This is a provincial road and there are quite a number of accidents that have happened here on the same spot but I have contacted the office of the MEC and I think we need to engage further with the MEC We can see that week in or week out or monthly an accident will happen in this area and this road We need to reach out to the families and try to assist the families of the deceased.” KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Sboniso Duma is currently visiting the site of the crash Duma says an investigation is underway into the cause of the crash “It’s a painful tragedy for the church of TAC The Mayor of KwaDukuza is part and parcel of the church and some of his relatives were also affected there’s no one who has lost a life in the family we are told nine people have lost their lives so we are not just going to say (that it is the cause) you might find that the driver didn’t take proper caution you might even find that there was an overload so we are not just going to dwell on so much – up until the proper investigation has been done.” The R3,3 billion draft budget that was tabled on 27 March 2025 It reflects the intent of the ANC-led municipality to make residents pay for their inefficiency and mismanagement The proposed tariff increase is an indication of how out of touch the council is with the reality of the people of KwaDukuza Instead of fixing electricity problems and making systems work better the municipality instead is raising electricity prices above inflation and ordinary people have to pay the price and a complete misalignment from Integrated Development Plan (IDP) submissions are also glaringly indicative in this draft budget there has been a R30 million reduction in security costs this is from the same business unit that is hemorrhaging close to R750 000 per month on security guards for the homes of politicians This is the same former mayor who has been allocated two (2) close protection officers while the current Mayor has been allocated five (5) We are curious about which community the former Mayor is currently leading that warrants such an extensive security detail at the expense of the ratepayer The DA has proposed the following interventions on the draft budget: -Public Private Partnerships that can source private sector capital for the upgrade of critical infrastructure- this will in turn unlock economic growth in the region but also reduce council having to internally fund capital projects -Increasing the portion of the value of residential properties exempt from property rates from the current R150,000 to R300 000 – this is closer to the norm adopted by other municipalities – Curb electricity theft and energy loss as a mechanism to fund the current broken electricity model The ANC in KwaDukuza must be reminded that the budget belongs to the people of KwaDukuza and not to a 39% political party A month has barely passed since the troubled KwaDukuza municipality on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast had elected its key office bearers At the centre of the schism is the use of high calibre SUVs including BMW X5s These had been hired for newly elected mayor Muzi Ali Ngidi and his deputy Njabulo Cele This despite the ANC-led council having already purchased a fleet for use by political bearers “The DA has recently written to the municipal manager It wants to establish how and why expensive hired vehicles are being allocated to the newly elected mayor Instead of him using vehicles that had already been purchased by the executive,” said the blue party on Wednesday The DA also said attempts to get the municipal manager to intervene had proved naught “As the municipal manager ignores our written requests the DA will now turn to the KZN MEC for CoGTA For him …to invoke consequence management against officials who are involved in this rental car scandal We cannot accept that for every new mayor luxury vehicles must be hired When the municipality already owns a fleet,” the party explained DA caucus whip Privi Makhan raises serious issues These centre around the implication of using hired vehicles would have on the municipality’s finances “I wish to formalise my concerns to the municipal manager in relation to fleet allocation for political office bearers You will be aware that the gazetted regulations for fleet procured and allocated to political office bearers are clear around the replacement and hiring of vehicles for the mayor and deputy mayor can the municipal manager please provide clarification This on what factors had informed the hiring of a main vehicle for the mayor and a vehicle for the deputy mayor,” said Makhan in a letter He also quizzed the municipal manager on how much the municipal foot on hiring the vehicles The KwaDukuza municipality continues to be under scrutiny with ANC factions jostling for control of resources Former mayor Lindiwe Nhaca was forced out of office by the ANC’s provincial executive committee (Nec) She was accused of not towing the party line She took the issue of her dismissal all the way to Luthuli house Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content Fundudzi Media (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms & conditions and privacy policy. dancing together in the council chamber after being elected on 5 November 2024 DURBAN - The KwaDukuza local municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal has elected a new mayor and deputy mayor after months without the two crucial roles During a special council sitting on Tuesday the African National Congress (ANC)'s Muzi Nene was elected with the support of various parties in council ActionSA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) This also scored the party's Njabulo Cele the deputy mayor post Council Speaker Dolly Govender said the appointments would bring unity in the municipality "It was a very stressful period to go without a deputy mayor and for the past 3 months without a mayor finally that is also resolved - we all want to be united and we want to work as a government of unity that is what we would like to see going forward." [WATCH] The ANC’s Muzi Ngidi has been elected mayor of the KwaDukuza local municipality, the nomination for Deputy mayor is set to take place shortly. @_NMabaso pic.twitter.com/iII5etx9xs File Picture: Independent Newspapers Archives Ratepayers in the KwaDukuza Municipality (KDM) have called on the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to intervene in the ongoing power crisis that has left thousands of homes and businesses without electricity for hours at a time under the umbrella body of the Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association (Docrra) wrote to Nersa asking it to consider auditing the municipality’s infrastructure to establish the cause of the persistent outages The letter was sent to the regulator on January 10 after the power crisis began in December the ratepayers said the power outages had been costly and intolerable we represent more than 40 000 households in the KwaDukuza Municipality The southern grid of the KwaDukuza licensed reticulation area is experiencing an unprecedented electricity crisis which began in earnest in the second week of December 2024 “These outages are nearly a daily occurrence and many last for more than 72 consecutive hours,” the letter said This had impacted residents and businesses during the festive season we have lamented shortcomings in maintenance and a failure to fill key vacancies with competent and motivated individuals The current maintenance spend is sitting at half of the Nersa-­recommended 6% KDM often fails to utilise this budget allocation The present predicament lays plain these failures “Our area is one of the fastest developing and most important economic nodes in the province Most businesses and new residential buildings have high-consumption air conditioning units and many have battery back-up systems that draw an enormous amount of load “We are aware that KDM has been audited in 2009 and again in 2014 and we are convinced that the recommendations made at those points have not been followed,” it said The letter added that it was the ratepayers’ view that the municipality was not maintaining and upgrading its infrastructure in accordance with the specifications of its licence “We therefore urgently request your intervention to resolve this crisis and establish the facts that have led us to this point performing another audit should that be necessary Our special subcommittee on electricity would also welcome the opportunity to meet with you to further discuss the problem and potential solutions “We urge you to address these issues comprehensively and share your action plan to prevent future disruptions,” it said the organisation said: “The Dolphin Coast community relies heavily on your department’s competence to ensure an uninterrupted power supply essential for our livelihoods and economic stability resources and a strategic approach to infrastructure management is a matter of grave concern.” DA councillor Privi Makhan said the party would write to the KZN Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Makhan said the DA supported the move undertaken by the residents association to approach Nersa KwaDukuza municipal spokesperson Sifiso Zulu said the municipality was aware of the association’s intention to approach Nersa “Power failures have happened either because of problems with the municipality’s network or faults in Eskom lines which inadvertently affect the municipality’s supply to customers when contractors contracted to other organisations carry out their operations they mistakenly damage the municipality’s cables He said updates about power failures had been provided to customers through their ward councillors and other platforms He said the mayor had led delegations that have met the Zimbali Estate Management and the Ilembe Chamber of Commerce “These meetings were convened at the request of the two organisations the problems were explained and a way forward was agreed upon The accusation that the municipality has failed to explain the problem is unfounded.” THE MERCURY AVBOB celebrates a milestone by rewarding its members on a large scale Two suspects have died after a gunfight with KZN police in Groutville KWADUKUZA - Two murder suspects have been killed in a shootout with police in Kwadukuza in KZN It's understood the suspects were wanted for four murders and a house robbery eNCA senior reporter Dasen Thathiah was on the scene and has the details in the video above The ActionSA on Tuesday voted with the ANC and other smaller parties to keep the party in power in KwaDukuza municipality on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal The election of Ngidi ended months of uncertainty caused by ANC factions vying for power The instability brought service delivery to a grinding halt The ActionSA clarified that it supported the ANC’s motion in order to restore stability to the council “In today’s council meeting in the KwaDukuza local municipality ActionSA made a bold decision to vote in favour of stability aiming to bring order to a municipality that has long been plagued by chaos,” said ActionSA provincial chairperson Zwakele Mncwango quick to point out that ActionSA’s support for the ANC’s mayor should not be misinterpreted as an alignment with the ANC “We have not formed a coalition agreement with the ANC this decision was rooted in realism,” he said and supporting a minority party candidate would only strengthen instability within the council.” The Herman Mashaba-led formation gave the ANC support for the second time The KwaDukuza mayorship was left vacant after Lindiwe Nhaca was recalled due to a disagreement with ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo she refused to step down and did not go down easily Nhaca brought the altercation to the party’s headquarters in Luthuli House hoping that party boss Fikile Mbalula would step in Ngidi acknowledged that he had enormous work ahead of him He claimed that his goals were to put an end to political interference and keep politics and municipal administration apart We must all put our hands on deck and make KwaDukuza great again,” said Ngidi KwaDukuza is among the top five municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal with a healthy budget Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content The councillor who had already been officially sworn in decided not to pitch for his first council meeting The residents of Ward 28 in KwaDukuza must be reminded that the 2026 local government elections are around the corner and your vote to a populist political party will result in your voice simply behind diluted in council as a direct result of lack of credible leadership and neither one of these parties are capable of leading anyone other than their dwindling membership lists The people of KwaDukuza deserve a government that can deliver clean and accountable governance in 2026 and this can only be achieved under the DA instead of municipal fleet vehiclesIssued by Councillor Privi Makhan – DA KwaDukuza Caucus Leader26 Nov 2024 in Press StatementsThe Democratic Alliance in KwaDukuza finds it unacceptable that the newly deployed ANC Mayor and Deputy Mayor have insisted on utilising hired vehicles including BMW X5’s while the municipality has a fleet that was purchased for use by political office bearers The DA has recently written to the Municipal Manager, Nhlanhla Mdakane, to establish how and why expensive hired vehicles are being allocated to the newly elected Mayor, Muzi Ali Ngidi and the Deputy Mayor, Njabulo Cele, instead of using available vehicles which were already purchased for the executive. (view letter here) While the Municipal Manager chooses to ignore our written request for information the ceremonial Mayor embarks on his 100-days campaign in a hired vehicle that is inevitably going to result in wasteful expenditure As the Municipal Manager ignores our written requests the Democratic Alliance will now turn to the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for CoGTA to invoke consequence management against officials who are involved in this rental car scandal We cannot accept that for every new Mayor luxury vehicles must be hired when the municipality already owns a fleet The DA will continue to hold the ANC to account to stop the wastage of public funds that should be allocated for services to the people of KwaDukuza The DA will be calling for the recordings of the interviews and the minutes of the selection panel to be made public in the event the incumbent is redeployed to this position Transparent recruitment processes for this very senior position are critical in ensuring that funds intended for service delivery reach the people of KwaDukuza and not the pockets of politicians and their deployees Following years of shenanigans in this department we remain hopeful that the era of plundering the public purse for personal and political gain will come to an end The Project Management Unit is housed within the Civil Engineering Business Unit in KwaDukuza a department nefarious for being used as a vehicle to fund campaigns and conferences for political parties that are grappling to hold on to power We remain relentless in our pursuit to ensure that state capture in the KwaDukuza Municipality comes to an end and that those that have just over two years left in strategic positions do not plant deployees inside the organisation in order to control council coffers from the outside The MK Party has snatched another ward from the ANC and that comes after two other winning streaks in Saldanha in the Western Cape and Richmond in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands Yesterday’s victory for the Jacob Zuma-led party came when it snatched ward 28 in Shakaskraal under the KwaDukuza local municipality near Durban The by-election was triggered three months ago when Dolshie Govender He then stood as a candidate for the latter and convincingly won the ward using his charm as a “servant of the people” The MK Party defeated the ANC in the ward with 1 The lowest performers were the IFP (Inkatha Freedom Party) And  the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) only got 23 votes The ANC’s consolation came in Pongola in northern KwaZulu-Natal Its victory in Pongola means that the IFP no longer has the majority The IFP now relies on a seat of the DA to keep the mayoral chain and the municipality the MK Party made a good showing when it came second This while the former incumbents of the ward the ANC said this marks a political milestone It also  serves as a powerful statement from a community that has chosen to reclaim its future by placing trust in the ANC “This unequivocal statement by the residents of Ward 12 is a bold declaration of hope and a commitment to leadership that prioritises service delivery and community upliftment Also to all who worked tirelessly to ensure that every voter understood the ANC’s unwavering dedication to their well-being,” the party said in a statement The other political parties had not yet commented about the victories and defeats at the time this report was compiled Visit SW’s YouTube Channel for our video content The DA will not allow officials to hide appointment processes from council they should be held accountable for improper appointments It is time to appoint competent individuals that fit the purpose instead of rewarding the politically affiliated at the expense of services to residents and our communities We are hoping that the municipality adopts the firm stance by KZN MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure Martin Meyer who had recently announced transparency on recruitment and tender processes by way of audio and visual recordings The bold move by the MEC should set a progressive precedent especially in municipalities like KwaDukuza where supply chain is the playground of connected comrades and political recruitment remains rife The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal has suspended the membership of KwaDukuza Local Municipal Mayor the ANC says Nhaca was suspended for defying party instructions The party has also accused her of behaving in a manner which has the potential to weaken the party and compromise unity Mafika Mndebele says disciplinary processes have been instituted against Nhaca “Comrade Lindi will not be allowed to attend any meetings of the ANC any meetings of the municipality as a public representative of the ANC or call any meetings under the banner of the African National Congress.” “Comrade Lindi who served as a representative has behaved in a manner that has the potential to weaken the ANC and compromise the unity within the ranks We remain committed to ensuring that the service delivery is not affected in KwaDukuza Municipality,” he adds.-Reporting by Nomzamo Xulu KWADUKUZA - It’s back to court for three men accused of kidnapping prominent KwaDukuza businessman Zakariyya Desai The suspects include alleged Mozambican kidnapping kingpin Esmael Nangy and a border post police officer WATCH | Mozambican kidnapping kingpin arrested again Desai was taken after his prayers at a local mosque in September and he remains missing. But we're told there's a new development in the case.  eNCA senior reporter Dasen Thathiah is in court following the latest developments. JOHANNESBURG - Former KwaDukuza Mayor Lindi Nhaca has suffered yet another blow, as her membership in the African National Congress (ANC) has now been suspended. The ANC’s provincial leadership announced her suspension on Saturday morning, accusing her of misconduct and defying party lines. Her suspension from the ANC comes a few weeks after the party recalled her from her position as Mayor of the KwaDukuza Local Municipality. After serving as mayor of the municipality for three years, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) announced its decision to recall Nhaca from the position earlier in September. The party said her removal from public office was a measure taken to strengthen and renew the organisation, as instructed by the party’s national leadership. ANC spokesperson in KZN Mafika Mndebele said Nhaca publicly smeared the party following its decision to recall her as mayor. “Cde Lindi Nhaca, who served as ANC representative, has behaved in a manner that has the potential to weaken the ANC and compromise the unity within the ranks.” The party said Nhaca would face internal disciplinary processes. As a result of her suspension, she will no longer represent the ANC in the KwaDukuza council or participate in the party’s internal structures. Please check your email and enter your one time pin below:   Open in Gmail Sorry there was an error loading the audio There was some electoral stability in this round of by-elections with the DA standing strong in a suburban ward in Johannesburg and the ANC entrenching its dominance in its Eastern Cape and Limpopo strongholds The four Newclare voting districts were split between three parties edging the DA by a single percentage point at the Gereformeerde Kerk in Newclare The ACDP won the Dowling Avenue Primary School district The ACDP’s margin of victory was key to its strong second-place finish It was also the least-competitive voting district in the election with the party obtaining 61% of the vote and beating the EFF by 45% Turnout was also highest in Bosmont with close on 60% of registered voters turning out GOOD ended up fifth in the ward with a credible 14% a reasonable return in such a contested electoral market Its best showing was in Bosmont where it won 10% The 2024 provincial election: It was very competitive again in May 2024 The DA came first with 28% and the PA was second with 17% The DA had almost lost half of its percentage support in the ward compared with 2019 The ANC finished third, also losing support – from 25% in 2019 to 16%. The PA, uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party and ActionSA stymied the ANC’s cause. advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads The DA won three of the seven voting districts including the two Newlands districts and Bosmont The PA won three of the four Newclare districts including the ACDP stronghold of Dowling Avenue Primary The ANC won easily again at Newclare Masjid with MK making a dent in its Ward 82 fortress well outperforming the DA on what it won the ward with in 2021 and 2024 The PA more than doubled its percentage support in the ward where the PA performed best in 2021 and 2024 there was still room for impressive growth It jumped from 26% to 61% in one district and 30% to 56% in the other These results suggest that Newclare has shifted from a competitive district which leaned towards the PA to solid PA areas The DA fell from first to third place for a variety of reasons relegating the party to the bronze medal in a once reliable district The differential turnout in Newlands severely hurt the DA The DA also lost more than half of its support in the two Newclare voting districts It was not even able to get into double percentage figures There was only a 3% gap at the one Newclare voting district between the PA and the DA in 2024 and that gap grew to 50% in the by-election A small consolation for the DA is that it held its 5% support in Kathrada Park Al Jamah-ah was well ahead of the other five parties chasing it and the well-established parties in this ward This was mainly due to its 20% in Bosmont and respective 5% and 6% in the two Newclare districts The win for the PA sees it move to double figures in seat allocation on the Johannesburg council The PA is the only party to win new seats in by-elections in Johannesburg since 2021 having won one off the ANC in Ennerdale and now taking one off the DA in Newclare The setting: Ward 99 is a suburban ward in the northwestern part of Johannesburg a part of the city that helped groom insurance titan Douw Steyn and Springboks Thinus Delport and Jean Kleyn Linden is known for its restaurants and breakfast spots which for many is the welcome to the green belt of Delta Park The 2021 local government election: The DA won three-quarters of the vote for a landslide victory on the ward ballot ActionSA came second with 10% and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) pipped the ANC for bronze The DA did not fare as well on the proportional representation (PR) ballot getting 8% less than its ward return to finish on 67% ActionSA tended to do much better on the PR ballot than the ward ballot FF+ was third on the PR ballot as well with 6% The 2024 provincial election: The DA won 71% of the vote in the ward in May 2024 The by-election: The ward councillor took up a vacancy in the provincial legislature ActionSA and Rise Mzansi sat out this by-election The DA performed a suburban suplex on the ANC to beat them by 3,424 votes in this by-election The DA did best in Robindale where it won 99% of the vote The party will hope that the voters in this ward come out in greater numbers in 2026 The setting: Shaka’s Kraal is off the R102 regional road which links uMhlanga with Groutville It sits above Salt Rock and Sheffield Manor The seat of the district is also KwaDukuza The iLembe district is just north of eThekwini It includes the municipalities of Mandeni and Maphumulo The 2021 local government elections: The ANC was out in front The race for second was more interesting as three parties obtained 6% The DA beat the EFF by one vote while the latter beat ActionSA by one vote The ANC lost its outright majority in KwaDukuza losing seven seats to take 29 of the 59 available seats Two new parties – ActionSA and the regional Independent Alliance – impressed to win five seats each The EFF doubled its seat allocation to four The 2024 provincial elections: The ANC held off MK here with its 42% return with the IFP just ahead of the EFF with 2% each MK pipped the ANC at the Shaka’s Kraal Primary School district by 47% to 42% At the North Coast Agricultural College district the ANC won 42% MK was the most popular party in the KwaDukuza Municipality with 45% The IFP was slightly down on 5% but did finish ahead of the EFF which dropped from 8% to 2% The by-election: Veteran ward councillor Doeishee Govender defected from the ANC to MK He aimed to win the seat for the third consecutive time The DA and ActionSA opted to miss the by-election It was a three-peat for Govender as MK routed the ANC Its best showing was at the North Coast Agricultural College (65%) This is the district where MK battled in 2024 The IFP beat the EFF to third place as the latter’s support collapsed in the ward This was MK’s first KwaZulu-Natal by-election win in a ward in which it was not the biggest party in 2024 MK has now won two wards off the ANC in less than a month in KwaZulu-Natal following a win in Richmond a few weeks ago New KwaDukuza Seat Allocation: ANC 28 (29) DA 9 Action SA 5 Independent Alliance 5 EFF 4 IFP 4 MK 1 (0) AIC 1 ATM 1 ACDP 1 The ANC’s grip on KwaDukuza is even more tenuous It will need to continue to engage with smaller parties to ensure it keeps the mayoral chain The setting: Ward 12 is on the Eswatini border Most voters live in the village of Highlands The ward sits next to the N2 national road linking Pongola and eMkhondo in Mpumalanga The municipality is known for its citrus and sugar cane farming and the Pongola Dam The 2021 local government elections: The IFP beat the ANC by 236 votes on the proportional representation (PR) ballot They achieved this by winning two of the four voting districts The IFP won 64% in this district and built up a buffer of 209 votes against the ANC The IFP won more than 90% in the least-populous district Nyawoshane Primary School where the gap between the IFP and the ANC was 192 votes The IFP was the only party to get into double figures in this district as the ANC only received nine votes The ANC won the most-populous voting district where it received 195 more votes than the IFP The IFP finished behind the EFF for third place in this district One of the things that hurt the ANC was that the relative voter turnout at Sigqamise School was lower than in the districts carried by the IFP The National Freedom Party (NFP) beat the IFP by 26 votes in the Mkhunjini Primary School district The ANC finished behind the DA here and 27 votes behind the IFP The NFP finished third on the PR ballot with 17% of the vote The IFP beat the ANC by 153 votes on the ward ballot The NFP finished in a credible third place and the EFF edged an independent candidate for fourth place The independent candidate won 9% of the vote This is why the PR ballot is a better mode of comparison for the by-election since the independent is not a contender in the by-election The IFP won 15 of the 29 seats in the council and the ANC 10 The DA and EFF sent one councillor each to the council chambers The 2024 provincial elections: uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) was the most popular party in the ward The IFP came second with 25% and the ANC third on 13% which also happened to be the two most-vote-rich districts The IFP and NFP won a single district each MK was the most popular party in the municipality with 42% of the vote The IFP came second with 32% and the ANC third on 17% ANC and MK were joined by the EFF and National People’s Front (NAPF) the least-fancied contender in the uPhongolo derby It was able to attract a great deal of former NFP and EFF voters Mkhunjini Primary School was key for the ANC This voting district was carried by the NFP in 2021 The ANC carried the Sigqamise High School district in the Itshelejuba part of Highlands by 267 votes with the EFF’s vote share collapsing from 20% to less than 1% The IFP carried the Manyandeni School district again but fell from 64% to 49% Former NFP voters in this ward mainly broke for MK The IFP lost much support in its Nyawoshane Primary stronghold The ANC activists here did their bit for the collective effort by growing the party’s vote from 4% to 11% The IFP has now lost its outright majority falling from 15 seats to 14 in the 29-seat council The NFP has two seats and the DA and EFF one seat each The IFP will call on the DA to work with it to hold onto the mayoral chain and the speaker’s gavel The setting: Most of the voters in the ward live in the eastern part of Louis Trichardt There is also a large chunk of voters in Matshavhawe There are a few other rural voting districts Louis Trichardt is the gateway to the Soutpansberg It is known for its tropical fruit and nut farming The artist Jackson Hlungwani and performer Sho Madjozi hail from this municipality The 2021 local government election: The ANC beat the DA by 568 votes The ANC won four of the five voting districts The village of Matshavhawe put the contest beyond doubt as the ANC won more than 80% in the second-most-vote-rich district The DA bested the ANC by 132 votes at the Louis Trichardt Showground voting district which has just under half of the ward’s voters The FF+ came third in the ward with 8% and the EFF fourth with 3% Read more: By-elections hub The ANC enjoyed one of its best municipal results here in 2021 growing from 56 seats to 62 in the 75-seat council with the DA falling from nine to five and the EFF from seven to four Four other parties won a single seat on the council The 2024 provincial election: The ANC won 60% of the vote here The DA trailed well behind in second place with 19% The EFF was just ahead of the FF+ with 6% each reinforcing the municipality’s status as one of the national highpoints of ANC support MK finished in seventh place with 0.34% of the vote The by-election: The ward councillor died after a short illness The ANC had another big win in the Vhembe region It was able to grow its vote share by an impressive 11% There was a significant turnout differential between Matshavhawe and Louis Trichardt of 42% This was a contributing factor to the ANCs growth and the DA’s flat performance with the ANC winning 81% of the vote there while only 21% of Louis Trichardt voters showed up The ANC was able to grow from 32% to 42% in Louis Trichardt The setting: This is a rural ward with numerous sparsely populated villages It is north of the R61 regional road which links Cofimvaba with eNcgobo It is east of Cofimvaba and north of Tsomo Each voting district has a few hundred registered voters Tsojana and Emawusheni have the most voters in the ward Its principal towns are Cofimvaba and Tsomo Trade unionist Vuyisile Mini and Albertina Sisulu hail from this municipality It forms part of the Chris Hani District which includes the towns of Komani The 2021 local government election: The ANC came close to the 80% mark with a dominant performance The EFF was the only other party to get into double figures The African Transformation Movement (ATM) was third with 5% The ANC won 35 of the 42 seats and lost none The EFF grew from three to four seats to consolidate its status as the official opposition while the DA and PAC won a single seat each The 2024 provincial election: The ANC all but mirrored its 2021 showing with 78% of the vote Ace Magashule’s African Congress for Transformation (ACT) came third with 5% The ANC breached the 80% mark for an emphatic victory in Intsika Yethu winning more than 80% of the vote in seven of the 11 voting districts Its best return was 97% at the Mkwinti School It beat the EFF By 59 votes and was able to get into double percentage figures in three of the 11 districts The EFF’s percentage support in the ward almost halved The next round of by-elections will be on 16 April when the DA will defend a very competitive ward in eThekwini The PA barely got 40% – not sure in whose books that’s a trouncing But when the DA actually trounces the ANC 98% to 2% in ward 99 – well And the maths is screwed up – if you add up the (last results) for ward 82 In Blairgowrie the DA won convincingly as they did previously There is no change in voting patterns to report on the PA won by 22% after an increase of 27% while the DA lost 9% of their support to finish third in a ward they had previously won one where they had already lost almost half of its percentage support compared with 2019 I wonder what the results will start looking like post May 1st when the reality of VAT increase starts to take hold Factor in the hiding the economy is going to take thanks to Trump and I think things will get pretty ugly ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + "