‘Charismatic, down-to-earth, relatable’: How Zuma charmed masses to topple ANC in KwaZulu-Natal

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party is set to take over the KwaZulu-Natal government after the 2024 general elections. (Rajesh Jantilal/AFP)

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party used former president Jacob Zuma’s popularity and exploited the ANC government’s failures to arrest long-standing load shedding and water crises, as well as perceived abandonment of the Zulu traditional leadership, to ascend to the highest office in KwaZulu-Natal. 

This is according to MK Party provincial spokesperson Professor Thami Mkhize, who laid bare the party’s strategy in interviews with News24 this week.

In a viral interview before the election, Zuma said he had “gone underground [to campaign]” and would shock people at the election.True to form, his party stunned the ANC in the provincial ballot, initially racking up 891 461 votes (44.44%) – more than double the ANC’s tally (370 738) in the province.