Battle for the metros: ANC and DA fight as MK storms eThekwini

The battle for control of eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal’s only metropolitan municipality, has emerged as a two-horse race between the DA and MK Party, according to DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis, as political parties make their final push for votes ahead of the November 4 local government elections.

With just over a week remaining before voters head to the polls, the province has become a key battleground, with the ANC, DA, MK Party and IFP intensifying their campaigns in townships, suburbs and rural communities.

The DA is now within striking distance of becoming South Africa’s largest political party.

A News24/SABI Strategy Group poll conducted between August 25 and September 17 put MK at 43%, the DA at 30%, the ANC at 11%, the IFP at 6% and the EFF at 3%. MK won its first eThekwini ward in a by-election in April 2025, narrowly defeating the DA in Ward 110. That narrow victory offers a concrete example of both MK’s opportunity and the importance of their votes.

MK Party eThekwini chairperson Mkhanka Zuma said in a statement recently that the DA was a political scam and that its leader was a populist demagogue who appeared to change principles and political positions depending on whom they were dealing with. The MK Party is also angered by the DA’s own research, which projects 37% support for the MK Party and 27% for the DA in eThekwini.