Former President Jacob Zuma’s MK Party faced difficulties in making an impact in the Eastern Cape, one of the African National Congress’ (ANC) strongholds.
The party’s planned rally in Gqeberha failed to attract a significant crowd, with only a handful of people in attendance. Zuma was scheduled to address a rally in Motherwell, Nelson Mandela Bay, but did not show up.
Instead, he was double-booked to address supporters in Braelyn, East London, nearly 300km away from Gqeberha.
Zuma explained that he had made a last-minute decision to attend the funeral of a “dear comrade,” Phumelele Tokwe, in Dikeni, rather than going to Gqeberha.
He expressed his apologies for not being able to discuss issues about their political party at the planned rally. Zuma cited the distance between East London and Gqeberha as a significant challenge, making it impossible for him to be in both cities on the same day.
Watch video below:
President Zuma apologises to the people of Port Elizabeth for not being able to attend the rally.
This is because he had to attend a funeral of a comrade.
However, he will return. #VoteMK2024 pic.twitter.com/S4i6JFNweQ
— uMkhonto WeSizwe Party (@MkhontoweSizwex) April 13, 2024
During Tokwe’s funeral, Zuma emphasized that his presence in the province was not only for campaigning purposes but also to address internal party leadership matters.
Although Zuma did address supporters in the God Never Fails (GNF) auditorium in Braelyn township, he expressed his intention to return when there is adequate time to discuss the country’s transformation. He promised to spend two days resolving all the necessary issues.
The Eastern Cape is considered an ANC stronghold, with the party receiving a significant percentage of the votes in recent elections. In the last local government elections in 2021, the ANC secured 62.99% of the votes, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) received 15.25% and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) 7.87%. Similarly, in the 2019 national and provincial elections, the ANC obtained 68.74% of the votes in the Eastern Cape, with the DA and EFF receiving 15.73% and 7.84%, respectively.
Despite the challenges faced in the Eastern Cape, Zuma’s MK Party will likely continue its efforts to gain support and make an impact in the region.
 strongholds. Despite the challenges faced, Zuma's MK Party will likely continue its efforts to gain support and make an impact in the region.){kind=link}