Anger over IFP and ANC political marriage in KwaZulu-Natal

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. File Picture: Sibonelo Ngcobo/African News Agency (ANA)

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. File Picture: Sibonelo Ngcobo/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Nov 18, 2021

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DURBAN - THE IFP's decision to work with ANC in hung municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal has angered other parties it was negotiating with to form a coalition. The DA, ActionSA, EFF and small parties in the province have accused IFP of betrayal, adding that it betrayed electorate for things that will not benefit them.

ActionSA provincial chairperson Dr Makhosi Khoza said the news of the ANC and IFP coalition agreement did not surprise her, saying after all, the IFP was the agent of the apartheid government used to divide and destroy the black South African natives in the name of fake mighty Zuluness. The party questioned IFP's faithfulness and accused it of taking other political parties for a ride because it had told them under no circumstances it will work with ANC but was secretly negotiating with it behind their backs.

“Inkatha sold us out. All along we thought we are together but we were fooling ourselves. We feel cheated by the IFP,” said ActionSA provincial spokesperson Busi Radebe.

EFF provincial leader Vusi Khoza also lashed out at IFP's about-turn, saying while all parties collectively worked to dislodge ANC from power IFP alone has decided to help it to cling on power.

Khoza said he has heard that one of IFP's conditions was that “government recognizes prince Misuzulu as a king” adding he did not know how this would benefit the electorate.

The DA also issued a statement criticising the IFP's decision. Although IFP President Emeritus Mangosuthu Buthelezi agreed that he and President Cyril Ramaphosa did discuss the Zulu king succession problem he denied that was attached to coalition, saying since he was not part of his party's coalition negotiation team he could not have discussed coalition with president Ramaphosa.

Meanwhile, ANC provincial executive committee will meet this afternoon and according to sources top on the agenda is IFP's demands that ANC government must recognise prince Misuzulu as king.

Sources said another condition is that the ANC regional leaders in Zululand change the region's name which it named after Mzala Nxumalo who was a fierce critic of Buthelezi in the 1980s.

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