Jaspreet Kindra The Inkatha Freedom Party was bolstered by this week’s poll, beefing up its traditional rural support base in KwaZulu-Natal. The IFP managed to improve its performance in last year’s general election of 41,9% in the province, increasing its share to at least 45%. At the time of going to press the IFP had bagged 38 of the province’s 61 municipalities.
The African National Congress, which appeared to have been making inroads into IFP strongholds in the province, was caught off guard when the IFP ate into its support bases in strongholds such as in Ladysmith and Newcastle. The ANC’s support in the province has dropped from 39% last year to 33%. Many ANC branches in the northern parts of the province have been wracked by faction fighting over the past few months, contributing to disillusionment among its supporters. “It is a wake-up call for the party and time for introspection,” said a party member in northern KwaZulu-Natal. In Greytown, where it previously enjoyed a majority, the ANC secured only one seat. Elsewhere in the province the ANC lost traditional Indian support to the Democratic Alliance and, in some instances, the IFP. The DA also picked up votes in Dundee and Vryheid, and even managed to attract almost 1 000 votes in IFP strongholds such as Ulundi and Nongoma. Overall the party achieved more than 15% of the province’s votes, compared with a Democratic Party and New National Party combined support of 11% last year. In Clermont, an ANC stronghold, the DA won one ward from a mainly black electorate. Meanwhile, the ANC almost lost the Durban metro, failing to win a widely expected two-thirds majority. With 47%, the ANC now looks set to manage at least a 50% hold over the metro by forging an alliance with Amichand Rajbansi’s Minority Front. The talking point in the metro is the possibility of an alliance between the IFP and the DA, which could give them an edge over the ANC. Both parties joined hands earlier this year in a bid to prevent the ANC choosing an executive mayoral system for the metro.