By-Election Looming in KZN After MK Party Candidate Wins Two Wards - EWN

We did engage the IEC to say look, there is a duplication, said MK Party KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Mkhuseli Mlengane, describing an administrative snag now forcing a looming by-election in the province after an MK Party candidate secured two separate wards in eThekwini.

The candidate, Gumede, won both wards during the recent local government elections. While the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) permits candidates to contest more than one ward, regulations strictly prohibit a single individual from serving as a ward councillor in multiple wards simultaneously. Consequently, the IEC instructed Gumede to select one ward to represent as a councillor, triggering a by-election for the remaining ward.

According to Mlengane, the predicament arose from a duplication issue. When the party flagged the matter, election officials cited scheduling constraints. And they told [us] we couldn’t change or fix that problem because of the timelines, Mlengane explained. He noted that the exact origin of the duplication—whether stemming from the political party’s internal processes or the IEC—remains uncertain.

Faced with the administrative hurdle, the MK Party shifted its strategy to secure local support. So we then decided, let’s engage that community and make them understand that we have to win the wards firstly because if it falls to someone else, then that means we wouldn’t be able to govern it, Mlengane stated.

Despite the unexpected requirement to return to the polls, the MK Party remains optimistic about retaining control of the contested area. Mlengane expressed confidence that his organization will emerge victorious in the upcoming by-election, ensuring the party maintains its governance capability in the region alongside broader efforts by political organizations like the MK Party and the DA to seek alliances in eThekwini.