Political parties target Indian voters in 2026 local government elections

POLITICAL party leaders in KwaZulu-Natal outline their strategies to engage Indian voters ahead of the 2026 local government elections (LGE) on November 4, addressing key issues such as service delivery and community engagement.

Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi, leader of the Minority Front (MF), said the party’s strategy to win back the “Indian vote” was rooted not in nostalgia, but in practical, grassroots politics focused on survival, dignity and service delivery to neglected communities.

“For too long, many Indian communities in KZN have felt politically orphaned, paying rates and taxes while enduring collapsed infrastructure, unreliable water and electricity supply, rising crime, business decline and cultural neglect. 

“The MF’s approach is clear – return directly to the people through ward-based activism, visible local leadership and policies that protect minority rights while serving all communities fairly,” she said.

Thakur-Rajbansi, said the MF would focus heavily on key Indian-populated wards and strategic mixed constituencies in eThekwini and broader KZN.

She said this included areas such as Chatsworth, Phoenix, Shallcross, Merebank, Reservoir Hills, Clare Estate, Verulam, Tongaat, Mount Edgecombe, uMhlanga, and parts of Pietermaritzburg, Howick, Estcourt, Ladysmith, Dundee, Newcastle, Stanger, Port Shepstone and Umdoni. 

“This time the MF was also contesting Gauteng and Cape Town metros where Indian communities faced ongoing municipal failures, infrastructure decay, flooding risks, economic stagnation and safety concerns.  These are communities where service delivery failures are no longer abstract policy debates; they are daily lived realities.”

Thakur-Rajbansi said the party’s strategy was to “woo” voters through direct household engagement, civic education, community meetings, temple and religious outreach,  business forums, youth mobilisation and digital campaigning. 

“It will champion practical solutions aligned to our policy, including accountable local governance, fair utilities billing, protection and promotion of cultural and religious freedoms, fair economic opportunities, anti-corruption oversight, stronger policing, housing dignity, and infrastructure renewal.

“The MF’s message is simple but powerful: Indian rights are South African rights. Indians must not be treated as second-class citizens any more. By positioning itself as a grassroots defender of ratepayers, families, faith, safety and service excellence, the MF aims to transform voter apathy into political power,” she said. 

Les Govender, a member of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and deputy chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, said wherever the party governed, its focus was on servant leadership, and it placed community needs uppermost. 

“Communities such as Chatsworth, Phoenix and other previously ‘Indian’ areas are now made up of a diverse citizenry. So, since most communities are now multiracial, our focus will be on presenting the most suitably-qualified candidates in every ward."

Govender said the party would focus on all communities especially in municipalities where they were not governing.

"By presenting the most suitable candidates, we aim to win elections, take control of municipalities and improve the lives of our people. 

“However, the Indian vote, especially in the eThekwini metro, would prove to be the deciding factor as to how the metro will be governed post the LGE,”  he said. 

Sithembiso Ngema, the newly-elected provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in KZN, said the political party already had major support from the Indian community.

“There is no need to persuade them. We also don't want to go around and use wrong information just for a marketing strategy. We want to deliver to our people and commit ourselves that if they lend us their votes, we will then be able to have power at hand to deliver at any given time.”

Ngema added that the party's goal was to win the eThekwini Municipality. 

“We cannot shy away from the fact that there is a problem in terms of service delivery within the municipalities that are covered by the ANC and no other political parties.

“What we are now working on is to win the eThekwini Municipality so that we will be able to deliver services to communities. For example, we took over Umgeni Municipality which was on its knees, and today, it is the best performing municipality. So it tells you that we do have a profile across the province where we govern, and that services are delivered to our people,” he said. 

James Nxumalo, the provincial coordinator of the African National Congress (ANC) in KZN, said embracing all communities was in the “DNA” of the party. 

However, he said that the party was rooted in the Congress Alliance which brought together the ANC, Natal Indian Congress, Transvaal Indian Congress, Coloured People's Congress and the Congress of Democrats. 

“This Congress Alliance produced the Freedom Charter in 1955 which became the bedrock on which our current Constitution is founded. Our history is replete with luminaries such as Monty Naicker, Yusuf Dadoo, Billy Nair, Ahmed Kathrada and Mac Maharaj. But, embracing all our communities is in the DNA of the ANC.”

Nxumalo said challenges around service delivery, crime and corruption, governance and financial management must be addressed for the benefit of all.

“Water is currently our number one priority with major infrastructure investment already well under way.  In addition, the fight against crime and corruption is visibly under way. The Special Investigative Unit is a creature of our democratic government. The Madlanga Commission and other platforms reflect a dogged determination to confront this scourge.

“We also endured difficult times with load shedding, but we acted and made difficult decisions. We identified root causes. Eskom is being rebuilt, and load shedding is something in the past. However, reducing the cost of electricity is a work-in-progress.

“The eThekwini Municipality is currently working on its 2026/2027 budget and is finalising the consultation phase. We are listening to all stakeholders – our poor and working class in particular. We must be responsive to that and give hope,” he said. 

Nxumalo said the ANC would contest all wards in KZN. 

He said there were 901 wards encompassing about 4,974 voting districts. 

“In doing so we will connect with all our communities in our best historic tradition. The ANC has always been more than just a political party. We are a movement that carries the aspirations of the overwhelming majority.  An urgent task for all of us, especially in KZN, is to rebuild trust and faith in democracy.  

“However, one of the practical tasks ahead is to seriously energise the voter registration campaign especially among young people. This is a national duty irrespective of political party affiliation,” he said. 

Mkhanka Nunu Amos Zuma, the eThekwini region spokesperson for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), said the party did not believe it must “woo” the Indian community ahead of the elections.

“We believe that Indian communities are more than capable of distinguishing between right and wrong, and of determining what is best for their communities. After enduring the hardships brought by the capitalist arranged coalition masked as a Government of National Unity (GNU), we do not believe communities will continue supporting parties that have, in our view, betrayed the mandate given to them by voters. The MKP has consistently held all GNU parties accountable.

“Many voters supported opposition parties because they wanted the ANC removed from power, yet the DA and other smaller parties chose to return the ANC to government through the back door via the so-called GNU. This arrangement appears to have been driven more by positions and blue lights than by a genuine commitment to improving the lives of suffering communities,” he said. 

Zuma said the MKP believed in building a responsive and accountable government.

“When elected into power, the MKP will ensure that essential municipal services such as fixing water leaks, burst pipes, sewage systems, and electricity maintenance are handled directly by municipal departments rather than outsourced to contractors and tenderpreneurs.

“We believe the excessive outsourcing of basic services delays service delivery and makes the government unresponsive to the people. The MKP’s  vision is to strengthen municipalities by utilising trained municipal staff working under the supervision of qualified managers, not political deployees without the necessary experience. Services that can be resolved immediately should be handled internally and efficiently for the benefit of the people,” he said. 

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