The May 2024 national and provincial elections may well be South Africa’s first-ever truly competitive electoral contest. Since March 2023, a series of electoral polls has indicated that support for the governing African National Congress (ANC) could fall below 50%. These polls also suggest that the Democratic Alliance (DA) may struggle to maintain its absolute majority in the Western Cape province.
Since two notices appeared in the Government Gazette during June 2023 by individuals affiliated with uMkhonto we Sizwe (MKP), credible polls, and three local government ward elections in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga have indicated growing and significant support for MKP, the political party led by former president Jacob Zuma. Pundits and analysts seem to agree that MKP is indeed a very interesting political phenomenon with no consensus about the real impact the party has on the national narrative.
