KZN holds its breath ahead of local government elections voting

Political parties have called for political tolerance as the country goes to the polls on Wednesday. Hours before South Africa goes to the polls in the 2026 local government elections, the province of KwaZulu-Natal waits in anticipation. There was a sense of calm over the province as The Citizen team arrived at the King Shaka International Airport this week. At the Durban International Conference Centre, some reporters and those with a role to play in the elections were collecting their accreditations. The Results Operation Centre (ROC) remained empty, with some reporters and political parties conducting their final checks. LIVE interactive map, latest news, multimedia and more! View Map But the quiet before the storm quickly disappeared the closer we got to Durban’s townships. There, the tension was palpable with so much on the line. KwaMashu In KwaMashu, unemployed youth loitered on the streets, drunk men staggered to their destination, and evidence of poor service delivery was apparent in the sights, sounds and smells of the streets. It may have been the last day of special votes, but there were no lines at the voting stations, with some predicting only short ones when most people cast their ballots on Wednesday. uMlazi In uMlazi, concern was in the air as the national office bearers of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) visited the area in response to death threats towards a ward 79 councillor candidate. Sources told The Citizen that MK Party leaders had been paying a visit to all their councillor candidates in eThekwini. In the same area, ordinary people on the streets questioned each other about who they would vote for when election time comes. While it did not erupt into violence, there was some tension in the air between those who support different parties. Different political parties have called for restraint and tolerance as the province approaches the day of the elections, with the IFP losing a number of councillor candidates due to assassinations in the build-up to the elections. Phoenix In Phoenix, life appeared to continue as normal. There was none of the excitement in the air found in KwaMashu and uMlazi, where political parties were belting out their party music from their speakers and pushing last-minute campaigning from the street. Polls Some polls indicate that the MK Party will have an advantage in different parts of KZN, especially eThekwini. This is the first time that the MK Party will be contesting local government elections since the party was formed in 2023. The ANC believes it will regain lost support in areas such as eThekwini. The party did not win outright in the last local government elections, forcing it into a coalition in the metro. They also lost their provincial majority in the 2024 local government elections, scoring 17% of the vote.