Duduzane Zuma confident of MK party victories: ‘We’re shaking, we are baking… The champagne is on ice’

MK party Deputy President Duduzane Zuma struck a triumphant note at the national tallying centre today, boasting that the party is “shaking, baking, moving and grooving” as early election returns trickle in.

Speaking from the Results Operations Centre (ROC) as vote tallying began for the 2026 local government elections, Zuma dismissed concerns about internal instability, framing the party’s leadership reshuffle as a deliberate tool to hold officials accountable.

Addressing journalists following allegations raised by former MK party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo, who claimed candidate nomination lists were tightly controlled and lacked proper vetting, Zuma brushed off concerns of internal chaos.

“We are keeping organisational matters internal, and anyone standing outside throwing stones at our windows, we don’t take it lightly,” Zuma said.

“We are doing things, we are shaking, we are baking, we are moving, we are grooving, and it’s game on.”

Reshuffling as policy

When pressed on whether public representatives and mayoral candidates could expect frequent changes post-election, Zuma confirmed that leadership shifts remain central to the party’s governance model under his father, MK party leader Jacob Zuma.

“This is a policy we have taken under our president,” Zuma stated. “If you look at how he governed, even when he was president of the country, reshuffling was his thing. That culture he brought into the MK party, and it is one we will bring into government when we get a chance to govern.”

MK party supporters celebrate in Durban on 5 November 2026 as partial results are announced after South Africa’s local government elections. Picture: ILARIA FINIZIO / AFP

He stressed that elected posts would not belong to individuals, but to the party itself.

“All we are saying is if people are not up to the task, they will not occupy that seat. The seat of power is an MK party seat, not an individual’s seat.”

Reflecting on coalition dynamics after the MK party was excluded from governing KwaZulu-Natal following the 2024 elections, Zuma expressed optimism over current tallies, noting the party is aiming for outright majorities, particularly in the eThekwini metro.

However, he signalled that the party is now prepared to negotiate with “like-minded parties” that share its vision for socio-economic transformation should coalitions prove necessary.

With early national tallies showing the MK party securing around 6.5% nationally and leading early returns in KZN, Zuma maintained that while the “champagne is on ice”, the party remains quietly confident as counting continues.