Predictions from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) point to a major shift in political support in the four eThekwini townships.
It’s projected that the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) is likely to enjoy around 54 % of the vote share in KwaMashu, Umlazi, Inanda and Ntuzuma.
Close to half a million South Africans were registered to vote in these townships, and as it stands, 45% of voting districts have been declared.
The gains by the MKP have paralleled the dramatic losses by the African National Congress (ANC) ,who enjoyed 57 % of the vote share in 2021.
The CSIR predicts that the ANC will likely receive around 19 % of the support in the four eThekwini townships.
KwaMashu, Umlazi, Inanda and Ntuzuma are townships where the ANC enjoyed 80% of support in the 2011 and 2016 local government elections.
The DA does not enjoy the level of support in the eThekwini townships that it has gained in the Johannesburg townships in this election.
The MKP has not just snatched votes away from the ANC but also the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who had 17 % of the vote share in the 2021 election.
However, the CSIR predicts they will drop to 2% in the four townships in this election.
The projections remain subject to change as more voting districts are declared and the final results are calculated.
VIDEO |LGE| CSIR results predictions