ANC fire power falls flat in Nquthu as IFP enjoys revival
‘TRUSTED CREW’: Jubilant IFP supporters celebrate victory in Nquthu IT was akin to bringing machine guns to a stick fight, and still losing.
Maybe the outcome should have been expected. This is, after all, Nquthu: a Zululand town not far from Isandlwana, where 138 years ago well-armed British troops suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Zulu warriors armed only with spears and knobkerries.
This is not to suggest the ANC constituted a group of “invaders” in this instance, but the governing party brought superior arsenal to a rural by-election, whose results would have far-reaching consequences on the electoral landscape.
ANC insiders put its budget for the by-election at R3.5-million, while the IFP spent R200 000.
The result?
The IFP won 14 of the 17 wards in the municipality and the ANC three.
The IFP has 19 of the council’s 33 seats, putting it in control of the municipality and the greater Umzinyathi district municipality.
The resounding victory is an amazing revival story for a party that was considered to be on its deathbed five years ago.
Much of its recovery can be attributed to the collapse of the National Freedom Party, an offshoot of the IFP which came about as a result of factional infighting.
The IFP’s campaign strategy in the build-up to the by-election and last year’s local government elections should not be overlooked.
Having suffered major losses to the NFP and the ANC in the 2014 general elections, the IFP started consolidating its strongholds in rural KwaZulu-Natal.