IFP talking to other parties about coalition to remove ANC from power
'We are presenting the IFP to the people of South Africa and KZN to say that here is the IFP, ready to govern and fix a province broken down by the ANC.'
Inkatha Freedom Party President Velenkosini Hlabisa poses for a photograph between sessions at the IFP’s Health and Welfare Summit, 14 July 2023, in Fourways. The summit included in-depth discussions on, among other topics, the NHI Bill and South Africa’s water challenges. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Inkatha Freedom Party’s (IFP) president, Velenkosini Hlabisa, is on a path to grow the party, which is talking to other parties about a national coalition to remove the ANC from power next year. He spoke to our political editor, Eric Naki. What is your coalition strategy? The IFP is ready to talk to anyone willing to work with the party with the understanding that coalitions have become part of the South African political system and they are here to stay. In 2021, we saw many hung municipalities which required political parties to work together for stability. If you do not…
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Inkatha Freedom Party’s (IFP) president, Velenkosini Hlabisa, is on a path to grow the party, which is talking to other parties about a national coalition to remove the ANC from power next year.
He spoke to our political editor, Eric Naki.
What is your coalition strategy?
The IFP is ready to talk to anyone willing to work with the party with the understanding that coalitions have become part of the South African political system and they are here to stay.
In 2021, we saw many hung municipalities which required political parties to work together for stability. If you do not prepare for the coalition governments in 2024, we will stay with what we have in the metros such as the City of Joburg.
If Johannesburg was a country, we would be the joke of the world – four mayors in 20 months. The IFP and other political parties want to have a stable government in 2024 should the ANC fail to get more than a 50% majority in the election.
The ANC has failed. Crime is a problem, unemployment is growing and we are on stage 6 load shedding today, Inflation is increasing and many businesses have had to close.
We will talk to any political party that wants a country ruled through the law and that will take a firm stand against crime. Our borders are porous and we need to have effective control over them.
There are so many people from neighbouring countries working in South Africa undocumented – and the work they do can be done by South Africans. We need a government that will prioritise the people of South Africa. But we are not going to form any alliance before the elections.
The IFP will be a stand-alone party. We will go to elections with our own identity, our own manifesto and with our own principles and values.
Watch: IFP Presidents says ANC has too much baggage for a coalition
On discussions with the DA and others to form a coalition
We are involved in discussions with the Democratic Alliance (DA), ActionSA, Freedom FrontPlus and other parties that are not yet represented in the National Assembly. We have a working relationship already with the DA in KwaZulu-Natal through a coalition.
Your interaction with the DA is a threat to the ANC. Do you see the IFP returning to power in KZN and working with the DA?
It is not that we are working with the DA that poses a threat to the ANC in KZN. The threat is that the IFP is gaining momentum in different parts of the province.
This has been shown in by-elections, where we have taken ANC strongholds at uMhlatuze, Madlankala, Umhlabuyalingana. We also took an ANC ward at Umthonjaneni municipality and two other wards from the ANC in two to other municipalities.
The IFP is on the rise and our target next year is that the people of KZN must endorse us as the sole political party to govern their province.
If we are not in a coalition, it will be easy to make decisions because you don’t consult too much before you make a decision. But should the people of KZN not give us 50% plus one, we will be amicable in a coalition and the DA will be the first choice because we are already working with them.
Are you saying with confidence that you are going to win KZN?
No, we are not saying we are going to win because for a political party to win it depends on the will of the people.
We are presenting the IFP to the people of South Africa and KZN to say that here is the IFP, ready to govern and fix a province broken down by the ANC. It is up to the people whether they give us an opportunity.
You are not saying anything about the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – do you trust them?
We had a coalition with the EFF but that coalition broke down in January 2023 and we are on record as the IFP that we still remain open to discussions with the EFF because, in politics, you never say never, you don’t close doors. We will talk to them as long as the EFF agrees with our principles.
Are you going to work with the DA in Gauteng?
The first choice would be to remove the ANC from power in Gauteng with a coalition bloc. Obviously, the political parties we are engaged with are the ones with whom we are preparing because we do not want to be caught unprepared.
What is happening with the City of Joburg (COJ) and Ekurhuleni is because political parties were unprepared. What you see at COJ is the making of deals which are not going to benefit our people, other than the two political parties who will manipulate the mayor from the smallest political party.
Is the IFP a regional or national player in SA politics?
The propaganda of the early ’90s and violence caused the IFP to be limited largely to KwaZulu-Natal. Now we have councillors in Gauteng and a member of the provincial legislature there as well as councillors in Mpumalanga.
We are a national party and we are looking to expand our footprint.
