ANC optimistic of a resounding victory in the Eastern Cape

EAST LONDON - The African National Congress (ANC) remains optimistic of a resounding victory in the Eastern Cape with just over 300,000 votes counted so far.

But the party has raised concerns over uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) which is making major inroads in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and other regions and provinces.

The mood at the Eastern Cape results centre on Thursday was one of calm with just a handful of party agents and officials keeping a watchful eye on the results leaderboard.

With just 21.6% of the votes in the ANC stronghold counted, the ANC leads the pack unsurprisingly with 194,000 votes followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 54,000.

ANC provincial chairperson and Premier Oscar Mabuyane said he agrees it’s still early days, but says things are looking good for the party.

“So far so good yes it’s early hours early days but it’s good that the ANC is showing up. It would be very good for the ANC to pick up. You see when you are chasing a score from behind you are likely not to make it, so you play for a draw. We don’t play for a draw we play for a win.”

But despite his optimism, Mabuyane did express his concerns about the MK Party and the impact the Jacob Zuma-led organisation could have on the ANC nationally.