Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede has defected from the ANC to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and has been appointed KwaZulu-Natal deputy convener. These defections are not mere footnotes; they signal a deeper structural decline for the ANC, says the writer.
Prof. Sipho Seepe
The British philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell, regarded as one of the 20th century’s most influential intellectuals, famously remarked: “To understand the actual world as it is, not as we should wish it to be, is the beginning of wisdom.”
Political pundits who failed to heed Russell’s time-tested wisdom found themselves dumbfounded by the electoral performance of uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) in the 2024 national and provincial elections.
MKP’s dramatic rise culminated in it securing approximately 45% of the vote in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). This strong showing came largely at the direct expense of the ANC, whose support in the province plummeted from its traditional dominant position to a mere 17%.
