Durban - Lack of internal democracy has prevented the IFP from making political inroads in the country and it has even been surpassed by the EFF, said its former national chairperson Ziba Ziyane, who said he had rejoined the party 14 years after leaving it.
Jiyane had late this week poured his heart out about his ambitions to contest the IFP’s upcoming elective conference with the aim of taking over from its outgoing president Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
The IFP is to hold its elective conference between August 23 and 25 in Ulundi, Zululand, and its national secretary, Velenkosini Hlabisa, had been earmarked to replace Buthelezi, who had announced his stepping down.
“I will use that to teach members of the IFP that they must insist on their rights. I am doing it so that people must know that this is a free country, and if you want to contest the position you have the right,” said Jiyane.
He said under his leadership the IFP would have internal democracy.
Jiyane, who has been a member of numerous parties including the DA and ANC, said he had re-joined the IFP at its branch in Empangeni. He said he had left it in 2005 after a quarrel with Buthelezi and its executive council.
However, IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa could not confirm that Jiyane had re-joined. He said Jiyane was welcomed to return to the party, which was in the business of growing its membership.
“We have had internal democracy without him in the many, many years that he has gone.
“So he is not some messiah now
to teach us anything. He must certainly not make the mistake of
thinking that he is coming back into the IFP as a paragon of wisdom
and democracy because we have
been doing quite well without him,” said Hlengwa.