DA Dismisses ANC as Threat in eThekwini, Names MKP as Main Rival Ahead of November Elections

• DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis declared the ANC a 'distant memory' in Durban during a campaign visit to eThekwini on Thursday
• Two former ANC ward councillors joined the DA in July, with Hill-Lewis pointing to the defections as evidence of the party's declining relevance in the city
• The DA is targeting eThekwini, KwaDukuza, and uMhlathuze in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the 4 November local government elections

KWAZULU-NATAL — The Democratic Alliance (DA) has declared the uMkhonto weSizwe Party its chief opponent in eThekwini, effectively writing off the African National Congress as a meaningful force in Durban ahead of the 4 November local government elections.

News24 reported that DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis made the remarks during a campaign visit to eThekwini on Thursday, describing the ANC as a "distant memory" in the city. He cited the recent defections of former ANC ward councillors Marco Mbambo and David Ngubane to the DA in July as evidence of the governing party's waning influence in the municipality.

Read also

Geordin Hill-Lewis says MK Party has nothing to offer voters, SA divided by DA leader's comments

DA targets eThekwini with Hoosen as mayoral candidate

Hill-Lewis called on Durban residents to rally behind DA mayoral candidate Hanif Hoosen, framing the contest as a straight fight between the DA and the MKP. His comments signal a deliberate strategic shift: the DA is no longer treating the ANC as its primary hurdle in KwaZulu-Natal's largest urban centre.

The party's confidence is partly rooted in its governance record in the uMngeni Municipality, which it holds and intends to use as a template for expansion across the province. Beyond eThekwini, the DA is also contesting KwaDukuza and uMhlathuze, with DA KZN leader Sithembiso Ngema expressing optimism about retaining uMngeni and broadening the party's footprint.

MKP's 2024 surge shapes DA's calculus

The electoral arithmetic lends weight to the DA's repositioning. In the 2021 municipal elections, the ANC remained the largest party in eThekwini with 42.02% of the vote. However, the political landscape shifted dramatically in the 2024 national and provincial elections, when the MK Party emerged as the dominant force in KwaZulu-Natal, capturing 45.35% of the provincial vote. That result appears to have recalibrated how the DA views the competitive threat in the region, pushing it to orient its campaign messaging squarely against the MKP rather than the ANC.

Read also

Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma endorses ActionSA's Zwakele Mncwango for eThekwini Mayor

MKP has nothing to offer voters: Hill-Lewis

In a related article, Briefly News reported on Hill-Lewis's critical remarks regarding the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and its alleged inability to govern effectively. Hill-Lewis's statements have sparked a significant online debate, with some social media users defending the MK Party's position in the political landscape and challenging the DA's service delivery record.

Source: Briefly News