Opponents of IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa are calling for his suspension over the issue of party members who continue to wear T-shirts bearing his face instead of that of the organisation’s founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

In May the IFP leadership launched an investigation following allegations that some party members have defied a resolution by the organisation’s national council for all IFP members to wear T-shirts bearing only Buthelezi’s face.

However, The Witness has since established that the main target of the probe was Hlabisa.

According to reliable sources within the IFP national council which ordered the probe, there was even a push for Hlabisa to be placed on precautionary suspension pending the outcome of the probe.

“It’s not only his people who are defying the resolution; there are even photographs showing him mingling with people wearing T-shirts bearing his face. In those photographs, even Hlabisa is wearing a T-shirt bearing his own face. I can confirm that the matter of Hlabisa’s suspension is still on the table as the previous national council meeting resolved that it should be finalised at the next meeting, which has not yet taken place,” one source says.

Hlabisa was elected unopposed as the new leader of the IFP at the party’s 35th conference held in August 2019. According to senior IFP leaders opposed to Hlabisa, delegates had no choice but to elect him as he has been endorsed by Buthelezi.

“We elected him out of respect for uMntwana (Buthelezi) who at the time was of the view that electing someone else has the potential to divide the party.”

“If it were not for uMntwana’s decision, some of us would have supported the election of the current IFP deputy president Mzamo Buthelezi as president,” another source within the IFP national council says.

While IFP secretary-general Siphosethu Ngcobo confirmed that the party was investigating the T-shirt matter, he could not say whether Hlabisa was one of the IFP members who was being investigated.

“The matter is still under investigation, and I can’t be releasing information on the investigation piecemeal. As we speak, I continue receiving affidavits from IFP members, not only here in KZN, but also in Gauteng and other provinces.”

“Even though I don’t have timeframes, my view is that it is highly possible that the investigation will be completed by August. So, let’s wait until the investigation has been concluded,” he says.

Hlabisa, who is currently the leader of the official opposition in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, is in a pole position to be elected the premier of the province in the event of the ANC in KZN failing to get above 50% of the vote in next year’s general elections.

However, his detractors within the IFP are pushing for the party’s provincial chairperson, Thami Ntuli, to be elected as premier in the event of the IFP and its alliance partner — the DA — being able to collectively garner more than 50% of the vote in next year’s polls.

“Hlabisa is the IFP president — he should contest Cyril Ramaphosa and let IFP leaders at the provincial level contest the premier position,” another IFP national council member says.

On Monday, News24 reported that police have beefed up security around Hlabisa amid concerns that his life might be under threat.

Hlabisa, who dismissed claims about the investigation against him, says matters such as those of the T-shirts, are dealt with internally.

“I don’t understand why IFP internal matters are being discussed with journalists. I also don’t know who these people claiming to be IFP national council members are.”