Ngizwe McHunu Reveals His Family’s Surprising DA Choice in Nkandla Elections
- Activist Ngizwe Mchunu revealed his rural Nkandla family voted DA during the 2026 local government elections
- Mchunu said he noticed DA campaign posters near his family home before elections and later confirmed his suspicions
- The IFP retained its stronghold in Nkandla despite expectations that Jacob Zuma's MK Party would dominate the ward
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SOUTH AFRICA - Activist and media personality Ngizwe Mchunu was left stunned when members of his family in rural Nkandla told him they had cast their votes for the Democratic Alliance during the 2026 local government elections.
Mchunu made the admission during an appearance on the Podcast and Chill podcast, describing the moment as a genuine surprise. He explained that the Nkandla ward had long been an Inkatha Freedom Party stronghold, one that neither the ANC nor any other party had managed to break.
"In all my years living there, not even the ANC has taken over that ward. It has always been a stronghold for the IFP," he said.
DA posters raised Mchunu's suspicions
His first hint that something had shifted came before polling day. When he visited his family home in the lead-up to the elections, he noticed DA campaign material displayed throughout the area. After election day, he phoned home to get answers.
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His relatives confirmed they had voted DA, but they were clear that their decision was about the candidate, not the party. They told him they had chosen a person they trusted, and that person happened to be on the DA ticket.
See X post with Ngizwe's interview here:
IFP holds Nkandla despite MK Party challenge
Despite the unexpected DA support within Mchunu's own household, the IFP held its ground. Final results from the Independent Electoral Commission, confirmed at the KwaZulu-Natal Results Operations Centre in Durban on 8 November 2026, showed the IFP claimed 50.15% of the ward vote. The MK Party came second with 32.54%, followed by the ANC with 11.66%.
In the broader Nkandla council, the IFP secured 14 of 27 seats. The MK Party took nine seats, the ANC received three, and the DA managed to secure one.
The result drew considerable attention given that Nkandla is the hometown of former president Jacob Zuma, who leads the MK Party. Many had expected Zuma's influence in the area to translate into a stronger showing for the party. The final tally, however, confirmed that the IFP's roots in the municipality ran too deep to be uprooted.
EFF files against Mchunu
Briefly News also reported that the Economic Freedom Fighters opened a criminal case at Inanda Police Station against media personality Ngizwe Mchunu, alleging that Mchunu and his bodyguards fired shots at EFF volunteers ahead of the party's scheduled Provincial Manifesto launch. The party's provincial chairperson Mongezi Twala alleged that Mchunu and his bodyguards fired shots at party volunteers Mchunu has denied the allegations, sharing his own version of what happened in Inanda on 18 September 2026.
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Source: Briefly News
