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ANC chief whip admits party is falling short in elections

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Ongoing: Elections Hot

Mdumiseni Ntuli, the ANC chief whip, said the party's showing in this week's local government elections is below its own expectations. He said the ANC is winning back some support in KwaZulu-Natal, and the SACP is drawing votes from the ANC's base.

Ntuli said the ANC had won back a few wards in KwaZulu-Natal, including Ward 1 and possibly Ward 9 or 18. He said the party's support base there had grown. He credited visible service delivery and unity inside the party, and said roads and bridges damaged by storms in 2019 and 2021 were rebuilt.

Ntuli said the party knew from the start that the SACP would draw support from the ANC. He said ANC candidates who lost selection had defected to the SACP.

He said the ANC hopes to keep its majority in the metros it runs, including Buffalo City and Mangaung. He named unemployment, crime and economic stagnation as the main issues in the elections.

Key facts

Who
Mdumiseni Ntuli (ANC chief whip and national executive committee member); African National Congress (governing party contesting the local government elections); South African Communist Party (party drawing support in the elections)
When
5 November 2026
Where
KwaZulu-Natal, Buffalo City, Mangaung
Status
Reported

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