Coalition government going to be the norm in KZN: Analysts

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Political analysts say KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) should get used to a coalition government in both provincial and local spheres.

This after recent by-elections saw the previously ANC-controlled Umzumbe Local Municipality now becoming a hung council, with the ANC and IFP both holding 17 seats.

The by-elections were held after the expulsion of one councillor and the resignation of a further five ANC councillors. All of them joined the MK Party. The party contested all six by-elections, it only managed to win one ward.

The province held 12 by-elections in Umzumbe, uMvoti, Newcastle, uPhongola, kwaNongoma, Melmoth and Umzimkhulu municipalities. The majority of the by-elections were held in Umzumbe Local Municipality on the south coast.

The IFP has won the highly contested by-elections in three of the six wards in the Umzumbe Local Municipality.

In by-elections in other municipalities, the DA won a ward from the ANC in Newcastle and in Umzimkhulu the ANC retained its ward.

The IFP took a ward from the Abanto Bathu Congress in the Umvoti Municipality and snatched a ward from the ANC at Mthonjaneni, giving the party the majority in this municipality.

“We want to urge the community of KwaZulu-Natal that the IFP is going to deliver services to them and all the wards that we have won are going to make contributions to the municipalities that we are going to participate in. So, as the IFP, we’re very pleased and we want to thank all the people of KwaZulu-Natal for supporting the IFP. We were shocked by the results we have received in the national and provincial elections but they have shown us that they’re still trusting the IFP,” says IFP KZN deputy chairperson Inkosi Ntandoyenkosi Shabalala.

At Umzumbe, the ANC previously held 21 seats in the 39-seat council while the IFP held 14 seats. The results of these by-elections now mean that this council is now a hung municipality. Analysts say political parties in the province must learn to work together.

“Coalitions are not new, we started seeing coalition government in the local sphere of government and our experience in South Africa with coalition governance has not inspired confidence. It’s not looking good because clearly the political parties are failing to work together for different reasons but I think that here in KZN, parties have to get used to working together,” says UKZN Political Analyst Zakhele Ndlovu.

The IEC says the average voter turnout for the province was 47% and the lowest turnout was recorded in Newcastle at 18% and Umvoti at 26%.

Video: Municipal by-election results: Paul Berkowitz: