A war of words has erupted between the IFP and the ANC provincial secretary in KwaZulu-Natal after he penned an open letter where he called Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi a “ravening wolf”.
Bheki Mtolo also labelled Buthelezi, the founder of the IFP (Inkatha Freedom Party), a meddlesome person who pretends to have the nation at heart, when he does not.
This is contained in an open letter Mtolo penned to Mzala Nxumalo, the late nemesis of Buthelezi who is known for his 1988 book titled: “‘Gatsha Buthelezi: Chief With a Double Agenda”.
The book angered Buthelezi and the IFP as they claimed that it peddled falsehood about Buthelezi and his role as the traditional prime minister of the Zulu monarch and nation and his time as the Chief Minister of the then KwaZulu Bantustan.
NEWS: The IFP has responded to ANC KZN Secretary, Bheki Mtolo for his open letter aimed at Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi last week. The party called Mtolo “a war-mongering lunatic, facing the inevitable implosion of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, as the prospects of losing power.” @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) July 25, 2023
Buthelezi and his party were further angered when the ANC in Zululand renamed its region and called it the Mzala Nxumalo region. They said they were not committed to reconciliation between the ANC and the IFP.
Writing in his letter to Nxumalo, Mtolo said Buthelezi is a leader who speaks with forked tongues and he has grown to believe that he is Alpha and Omega in society.
NEWS: The DA says the ANC must rein in its provincial secretary in KZN, Bheki Mtolo after allegations surfaced that admitted to trying to facilitate a R5 million payment between the eThekwini Municipality and Amadelangokubona Business Forum. The money is allegedly ‘owed’ to the
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) July 26, 2023
Furthermore, he accused Buthelezi of dividing the Zulu royal house since the passing of King Goodwill Zwelithini in March 2021.
“Unsuspecting members of the public are left with an impression of a leader who is a nation builder with the interest of the Zulu royal family in his heart. In reality, this leader has divided the Zulu royal family," Mtolo wrote.
Moreover, he claimed Buthelezi had divided the province and washed the dirty linen of the Zulu royal family in public.
“He has also divided the institutions of leadership in this province by planting the seeds of mistrust. He has literally washed the Zulu royal family linen in public,” Mtolo wrote in the open letter that drew the ire of the IFP.
Late on Tuesday, the IFP fired back at Mtolo in a statement, calling him a “lunatic” who is trying so hard to be relevant.
The party said the tirade had all the makings of the drunken writings of a madman wielding an axe, baiting violence in a sorry, pathetic, cheap and desperate act to deflect focus on his failings as provincial secretary of his own party.
“Mtolo is a danger to democracy. He is a war-mongering lunatic, facing the inevitable implosion of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, as the prospects of losing power come to the fore ahead of the 2024 elections,” the party said.
It added that it would not be distracted by the tirade, as it is more focused on reclaiming the province of KwaZulu-Natal from the ANC.
“He is (a) small boy projecting importance through a statesman way out of his league. The IFP will not be distracted by useful idiots of Mtolo’s ilk, as we continue on our trajectory of growth towards 2024. The IFP will win through the barrel of the ballot,” the statement concluded.
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