Real Politics: How much longer can MK lean on Zuma’s charm?

The uMkhonto weSizwe party is going into the 2026 local government elections with one clear campaign weapon: Jacob Zuma himself.

The party’s explosive rise in the 2024 elections was built largely on the former president’s personal popularity, especially in KwaZulu-Natal. But nearly two years later, it is still struggling to build the structures needed to turn that popularity into a stable national political force. 

In the 2024 national and provincial elections, the MK party delivered one of the biggest political shocks since the dawn of democracy. Formed in December 2023, just months before the vote, it won 14.58% of the national ballot. Its real strength, however, was in KwaZulu-Natal, where it secured 45.35% of the provincial vote and emerged as the largest party. 

The MK surge dramatically reshaped South African politics. For the first time since 1994, the African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority, with its support falling to about 40%. That forced the country into a government of national unity – a coalition arrangement likely to shape South Africa’s politics for years. 

In KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC joined forces with the Democratic Alliance and the Inkatha Freedom Party to prevent the MK party from coming to power. That coalition denied Zuma’s party control of the province and its roughly R168.2bn budget. MK supporters insist the party deserved to govern because it won the largest share of the vote. Critics argue the coalition may have prevented administrative chaos. 

Their argument is straightforward: if the MK party struggles to manage its own internal leadership, how would it have managed a provincial government?

An organisation in constant flux

Since its launch, the party has churned through a string of secretaries-general, the latest appointee being MP Sibonelo Nomvalo, who previously served as the ANC Youth League’s spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal.

It has been moving its machinery around to other places, too. 

Simphiwe Mpungose, who helped build branches and mobile supporters in KwaZulu-Natal, has been named the provincial secretary, while Tholakele Dlamini, a qualified industrial psychologist with experience in electoral processes, will oversee the party’s election preparations. Gobizizwe Makhanya becomes provincial organiser. Former Transnet chief executive Brian Molefe has been appointed treasurer-general, and Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi will serve as chief whip in the National Assembly. 

Many of these figures are largely unknown to ordinary voters. That creates a problem for the MK party as it prepares for municipal elections, where local credibility often matters more than national politics.

Local government elections are driven by familiar faces, trusted community leaders and service-delivery issues. The MK party has so far struggled to build that kind of grassroots presence.

A one-province party?

While the party has contested by-elections, its performance has been mixed. It has picked up wards in places such as Richmond, KwaDukuza, Mandeni and Saldanha Bay, but outside KwaZulu-Natal, its footprint remains limited. It has not yet translated Zuma’s popularity into broad-based growth in Gauteng or the Eastern Cape. 

Another challenge is perception. The party’s leadership structures are dominated by figures from KwaZulu-Natal. That has reinforced the view among some voters that the MK party is essentially a regional political project rooted in Zulu nationalism.

The controversy around former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu illustrated those tensions. His rise within the party triggered resistance from some MK members, and he was later pushed out. 

The team expected to drive the 2026 campaign includes party chairperson Nathi Nhleko, the former police minister. John Hlophe, the impeached former judge president of the Western Cape High Court, serves as deputy president. ANC veteran Tony Yengeni has also been brought in as the second deputy president after tensions between Zuma and Hlophe. 

Behind the scenes, Zuma has created a presidential task team to prepare the party for the municipal elections. The structure includes traditional leaders, Zuma’s son Duduzane Zuma and other loyalists tasked with coordinating the campaign on the ground. 

Despite these structures, the party’s political energy still revolves around Zuma himself.

At 83, he remains the MK party’s most powerful campaigner and its most recognisable political figure. Among many rural communities and traditional leaders, he continues to command deep loyalty.

Party’s strongest contenter

Many supporters still see him as a leader unfairly targeted by his political opponents. That sentiment played a major role in the party’s 2024 surge and still helps to drive its support in KwaZulu-Natal.  

Zuma believes the party can capture key municipalities such as eThekwini and Msunduzi in the next local government elections. Political analysts say his charisma will remain the party’s strongest campaign asset for as long as he stays active in politics.

But personal popularity has limits. Municipal elections are often decided by service delivery, local leadership and community credibility. Without stronger structures and trusted local candidates, the MK party may struggle to convert Zuma’s personal appeal into long-term municipal power.

For now, the Zuma charm remains the party’s most reliable political weapon. Whether that alone can carry the MK party beyond its KwaZulu-Natal heartland will be the real test in 2026.

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