FORMER ANC eThekwini mayor and regional heavyweight Zandile Gumede has officially joined the MK party, dealing another significant blow to the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the November local government elections.
MK Secretary-General Sibonelo Nomvalo announced Gumede’s appointment as the party’s new provincial deputy convener in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday, 13 July, a move widely seen as a strategic coup for former president Jacob Zuma.
Gumede, a formidable political figure who previously served as eThekwini regional chairwoman, brings deep grassroots connections and intimate knowledge of Durban’s political landscape.
Political analysts have tipped the MK Party as the front-runner to take control of the eThekwini Metro, the country’s second-largest municipal economy, after securing 45% of the KZN vote in the 2024 national elections.
Nomvalo hit back at critics who have dismissed the MK Party as umlilo wamaphepha – a short-lived fad. “While other parties are suffering, in the MK Party we are always welcoming new members every day,” he said.
“This is the only alternative voice of the left. This is the only remaining voice of the voiceless in <a href="https://absafricatv.com/why-south-africa-is-kenyas-top-overseas-destination-for-commercial-property-investment/" title="Why South Africa is Kenya’s top overseas destination for commercial property investment”>South Africa.”
Gumede, who was recently baptised as a member of the Shembe church, kept her remarks brief at the announcement: “Allow me not to answer all the questions asked but to just say thank you for the warm welcome to the organisation, uMkhonto weSizwe.”
Her defection ends months of speculation. As recently as March 2025, Gumede publicly denied plans to leave the ANC but notably refused to close the door entirely.
She joins a growing list of senior ANC figures who have crossed to the MK Party, which now holds 37 of 80 seats in the KZN provincial legislature.
The MK Party has confidently predicted it will win 70-80% of KZN municipalities in November. Gumede’s appointment signals that eThekwini, with its multibillion-rand budget, is the ultimate prize, and Zuma has secured a lieutenant who knows the terrain inside out.
