The MK Party is on a slow but upward trajectory, and if it can keep its house in order, its potential to win elections is significant.
That is the view of a political analyst speaking to The Mercury on Thursday after the party won a hotly contested by-election in the eThekwini Municipality on Wednesday.
The MK Party said the by-election win was a sign of its growing influence in South African politics and beyond.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) confirmed that the MKP had won the ward.
It said the MK Party's Mandla Goodoman Biyela won the seat with 38.92% of the total votes cast. Voter turnout was 33.55%.
Ward 110 was previously held by the DA and was contested by six candidates and an independent candidate. The DA had pulled out all the stops, bringing its top leaders to campaign there in an effort to hold on to the ward.
Political analyst Thabani Khumalo said the MKP was showing signs of improvement. “The party is moving a bit, but they have been slow if you compare it to how they performed in the general elections. One of the slow points was when they won one out of six wards that were being contested in by-elections in Mzumbe Local Municipality after the general elections.”
"The party has immense potential for growth, especially in KwaZulu-Natal. If the party can get its house in order and stop the internal squabbling, it has the potential to do well," he said.
Khumalo said the growth of the party spells problems for the ANC which has appointed a provincial task team to rescue the party in KZN.
"When you engage with ANC members on the ground, you find that most are also in the MKP," he said.
The MKP said in a statement that the ward 110 victory was a symbol of what is to come in the 2026 Local Government Elections.
“This win is more than just a local government success; it is a clear and resounding sign of the MK Party’s growing influence in South African politics and beyond.
“For a ward once considered a DA stronghold, this success speaks volumes about the shifting political landscape and the trust that communities are placing in our vision for a better, more inclusive, and just South Africa. The people of ward 110 have spoken, and they have chosen a party whose key vision is to expropriate land without compensation and redistribute the wealth of this country to its rightful owners: the marginalised majority.
“This victory reaffirms what we have stated all along: the MK Party is not just a movement but the future of this country. We are grateful to the voters, supporters, and ground forces of ward 110 who made this possible. We are committed to delivering on our promises for the expropriation of land without compensation and building a nation that works for all, especially the poor black majority,” the party said.