Jacob Zuma's party emerges big winner in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG: The biggest winner in South Africa's election this week may be former President Jacob Zuma, whose newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party has exceeded expectations and emerged as a major factor in the African National Congress' sharp drop in support.

MK is not going to win the election and is unlikely to be a coalition partner, analysts say, while Zuma is barred from standing for parliament because of a conviction for contempt of court. But the party, which advocates nationalising land and banks and scrapping the constitution, is on course to unseat the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma's home region. With results from about 70% of polling stations in, MK was in third place on Friday with 12.6% of votes. The ANC had 41.5%, down from 57.5% in the last 2019 election.