Durban - IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said while he is saddened that he will not see the next chapter of the party, he hoped that reconciliation between the party and the ANC could be achieved.
“It is something that must be achieved, to normalise the political relationship between our organisations.
“This work now lies in the future.”
This chapter, he said, would hopefully bring social and economic justice.
“This is not (just) because I am stepping down, but because in a few days’ time I will turn 91. Common sense tells me that my time is short. There is so much I will not get to see.
“I cannot tell you how privileged I feel to have worked alongside so many extraordinary patriots. It would be impossible for me to recount the names of those who have walked this journey with me and have distinguished themselves as leaders. I can only thank God for His infinite wisdom, for bringing together so many remarkable people.”
Buthelezi said he owed a debt of gratitude to the rank and file of the IFP’s members.
This gratitude he said, extended “to the faithful who have voted for us since 1994, and to those who have tied their destiny to the destiny of the IFP. While some have only joined the IFP recently, many have grown up in this Party.”
“I am proud when I see people wearing IFP regalia. I am proud when total strangers write to me to thank me for what the IFP is doing. And I am proud to know that the IFP has been a good home for so many struggling South Africans.
“Because we haven’t just demanded political allegiance. We have substantially changed the lives of countless individuals.”