The future of the National Freedom Party (NFP) is looking increasingly bleak as it trails way behind the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and African National Congress (ANC) in the only municipality it's contesting.
Shortly before 5am‚ the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had counted 50% of votes at the Nquthu Local Municipality.
The IFP‚ the NFP's main rival‚ was in the lead with 44.8% (19 411 votes)‚ followed by the ANC with 40.62% (17,601 votes) and the NFP at 8.32% (3 ,606 votes)
Last month‚ the IEC gave the NFP a lifeline to contest Nquthu in northern KwaZulu-Natal in this year's local government elections . It was only council in which the party had met all the requirements.
- EFF trails ANC‚ DA in early Limpopo countThe African National Congress (ANC) is comfortably in the lead in the Northern Cape‚ with 54.4% of the vote.
By 4.55am‚ 59 of 116 voting districts were completed‚ 4 of 17 wards were completed‚ 0 out of 1 municipalities completed and 4 of ouf 33 seats were allocated. In July the Electoral Court dismissed the party’s bid to be included on the ballot paper after it missed the IEC’s payment deadline.
The NFP has consistently argued that an administrative error was the reason for missing the deadline. The Electoral Court’s decision was a blow for the already embattled NFP‚ the country’s fifth-biggest political party‚ whose leader Zanele Magwaza-Msibi has been out of action for more than a year after falling ill at the end of 2014‚ leaving a vacuum that led to divisions within the party.
Last month‚ two senior party members‚ secretary-general Nhlanhla Khubisa and national chairman Maliyakhe Shelembe‚ resigned from the NFP.
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