Zuma will be well served under us in Nkandla, says IFP’s Hlabisa

With political parties intensifying their campaigns ahead of the local government elections scheduled for November 4, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa told MK Party members and supporters to accept that their party would be defeated in the Nkandla Municipality — the backyard of MK Party leader Jacob Zuma.

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Acknowledging that losing elections was a “bitter experience”, Hlabisa urged MK Party supporters to find comfort in the fact that under an IFP-led Nkandla Municipality, Zuma would receive the best service.

Hlabisa made the remarks while addressing an IFP rally in Eshowe, in the King Cetshwayo District Municipality — an area regarded as one of the party’s traditional KwaZulu-Natal strongholds.

The district includes municipalities such as Nkandla, uMlalazi and uMhlathuze, all of which are governed by the IFP.

Previously a battleground between the IFP and ANC, the district will become a three-horse race between the IFP, ANC and MK Party in the upcoming polls.

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In an address that sounded like an election victory speech, Hlabisa sought to reassure MK Party supporters that Zuma — whose political influence continues to loom large over KZN politics — would continue to receive quality municipal services under an IFP-led administration.

Zuma’s private homestead falls within Ward 14 of the Nkandla Municipality.

When he was the president of the ANC, he received good service from the IFP-led municipality. Today, as president of the MK Party, he is still being serviced well by the municipality. After the November elections, Zuma will continue to benefit from the IFP-led municipality’s service delivery track record.

Hlabisa said the IFP would emerge victorious in the upcoming elections and retain control of municipalities in the King Cetshwayo District.

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“So, given that the IFP in the November 4 elections will return all the municipalities under the King Cetshwayo District, there is absolutely no reason for the MK Party to panic because their leader will continue to be taken care of by the IFP in the Nkandla Municipality,” he said.

The comments come as competition between the IFP and MK Party intensifies across KZN.

In the 2024 general elections, the MK Party — which received 45% of the KZN vote — made significant inroads into areas previously contested mainly between the ANC and the IFP.

Due to its association with Zuma, Nkandla occupies a unique place in the province’s political landscape.

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For years, elections in the municipality were viewed through the prism of the rivalry between the ANC and the IFP, with Zuma’s presence often drawing national attention to the area.

However, the emergence of the MK Party has dramatically altered the political equation, introducing a new dynamic into local electoral contests.

Despite Zuma’s influence, the IFP has managed to strengthen its grip on the municipality in recent years.

One of its most significant victories came in the 2021 local government elections, when it wrested Ward 14 from the ANC.

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The ward, which includes Zuma’s private homestead, has long been regarded as a symbolic indicator of political sentiment in Nkandla and its fall to the IFP cemented the party’s dominance in the municipality and reinforced its position as a formidable force across northern KZN.