MK leads eThekwini poll as voters fault service delivery

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) is attracting almost half of voter support in eThekwini, according to an eNCA MarkData election survey that also reveals widespread dissatisfaction with municipal management, water provision and flood recovery.

The results, released on Sunday, 25 October, put MKP at 48%, followed by the Democratic Alliance at 25.2% and the African National Congress at 14.5%.

The Inkatha Freedom Party polled 6% and the Economic Freedom Fighters 2.5%. None of the remaining parties individually reached 1%.

The findings, ahead of the local government elections on 4 November, place MKP within reach of an outright majority, although polling support does not guarantee an equivalent share of council seats. According to eNCA, the survey assumes turnout of 48.8% and carries a margin of error of about three percentage points for each metro.

The voting intentions accompany a largely negative assessment of municipal performance.

Asked how their municipality had been run over the past five years, 28.6% of respondents said it had not been well run and 29.7% said it had been extremely badly run, a combined negative assessment of 58.3%.

A further 27.3% rated its management as only averagely good, while 8.7% said it had been very well run. The remaining 5.7% did not know.

Water supply drew particularly strong criticism. Some 62.7% selected the response describing the mayor and municipality as hopeless and calling for a different mayor and ruling majority. By comparison, 25.3% believed they had done as well as they could and deserved support, while 12% were unsure.

On the handling of flood damage, 58.6% favoured a new mayor and governing majority, against 28.4% who supported the municipality’s response. Another 13% did not know.

The ANC also attracted most of the blame when respondents were asked who was mainly responsible for problems affecting South Africa’s big cities, including water, electricity, sewage, potholes and poor services.

Nearly three-quarters, 74.6%, blamed the ANC. The DA was blamed by 5.3%, MKP by 3.9%, smaller parties by 2.8% and the EFF by 1.7%. A further 11.8% did not know.

The findings suggest that dissatisfaction with municipal services could weigh heavily on voting decisions in eThekwini. Whether MKP converts its polling lead into governing control will depend on turnout and the allocation of council seats.

Sources: eNCA MarkData 2026 election survey, eThekwini results supplied; eNCA, ‘eNCA MarkData Election Survey | Here’s what the results mean’, 25 October.