By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Videography: Jacob Mawela.
@GalloImages.
Former President Jacob Zuma, is emerging as the biggest victor of general elections as his new breakaway uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MK Party) appears poised for major gains at the expense of the country’s governing African National Congress.
The MK Party is currently in third place nationally with 11,66% of the votes, having surpassed the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) as the national votes were announced.
At around 12:30 on Friday afternoon the MK Party had reached 1 010 680 votes, with the majority of the votes coming from the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, ruled out a coalition with the ANC, as the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party is poised to be a kingmaker.
“Definitely not the ANC of Ramaphosa,” she said.
Zuma’s six-month-old party has not only ravaged the support of the ANC, the oldest liberation movement in Africa, it has also taken away support from more established parties such as the EFF and IFP. The MK party has also been able to attract ANC supporters in KZN and Gauteng.
It has become almost certain that the ANC will not win more than 42% nationally.
Zuma-Sambudla, a close confidant of her father, said the MK party would only work with like-minded organisations.
“We have the People’s Mandate [the party’s manifesto] and as long as you are aligned and close enough with what we want to do, then you are someone we can talk to in terms of the land, free education and nationalism.”
South Africans voted on Wednesday in what many view as the country’s most contested election since the 1994 democratic elections.
The final results were expected to take days, with the independent electoral commission saying they would be delivered by Sunday, although they could come earlier.
South Africans were waiting with baited breath to see if their country, Africa’s most advanced economy, was about to enter a new era.
Watch in the video below:
Video Courtesy of Fullview.
*We apologise for the poor sound quality.