While there are indications that the MK party is struggling to fund its campaign for the upcoming local government elections, an analyst says the party may not need money to gain grassroots support.

No MK party banners at voting stations

The Citizen spoke to some MK party volunteers at a voter registration site in Johannesburg on Saturday. They complained about a lack of resources. This, while other political parties had marquees and campaign material.

This echoes the sentiment of the party’s former spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, who told the media on Sunday that it did not even have posters out on the voter registration weekend.

In the same briefing, Ndhlela also indicated that there is an over-reliance on funding from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the party’s sustenance.

“We need a treasurer-general who can focus on fundraising and not just on the money that we get from the IEC. That is the problem.

“The treasurer-general role must actually be a fundraiser because you cannot fund a revolution based on monies received from the IEC, forget it’s not going to happen.”

Ndhlela said for the MK party to have reliable financial muscle, it must become more than a political party. He said it must form a type of “institution” or think tank that international donors can fund.

However, he refused to answer a question if the MK party has sufficient funds to campaign for the upcoming elections in various provinces.

“That is a question for the spokesperson of the MK party,” he said.

The Citizen reached out to MK party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu for comment. This story will be updated as soon as it is received.

Is MK party driving xenophobia?

Political analyst Andre Duvenhage told The Citizen on Monday that the MK party may not need a conventional approach to campaign for the local government elections.

He said the party is capitalising on the current instability in the country, especially ongoing tensions between anti-migrant groups and foreign nationals.

“My take on it is that in the absence of money, they are going to the grassroots level. They are going to go out and mobilise support on that basis and not follow the classical elections approach.

“They are definitely part of these xenophobic tendencies, they are definitely part of the broader process to destabilise South Africa and I am reading this as their election strategy.

“I believe that despite the financial challenges, [Zuma] is going to get support in KwaZulu-Natal, and he is also going to get support in other areas where there is Zulu prominence… the point is he does not need to have money in the classical Western sense to drive an election campaign.

“There are other strategies like intimidation, violence and confrontation.

“They are going unconventional, they are going the anti-system way. For me, that is very concerning,” he said.

Who is funding the MK party?

Duvenhage said it is still not clear how Zuma received funding to get his party off the ground in 2023.

“Since the establishment of the MK party there were serious questions about where they get their finances and we know that Russia and Russian intelligence were implicated, as well as Iran and other states,” he said.