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New party, same old broken promises: IFP not worried about MK threat
Former President Jacob Zuma's endorsement of the MK Party has not fazed the IFP in KZN.
A man wearing a military uniform stands next to a banner for the new left-wing Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) Party during the former president Jacob Zuma’s press briefing at the YMCA Community Hall in Soweto on 16 December. Picture: Ihsaan HAFFEJEE / AFP
The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) said it was not fazed by the formation of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and its endorsement by former president Jacob Zuma.
Zuma recently appeared at an MK party event, reiterating that he would not vote for the ANC in next year’s elections. The party has been seen as a potential major player in KwaZulu-Natal, where the IFP has several strongholds.
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But IFP provincial chairperson Thami Ntuli told The Citizen, the MK Party has nothing new to offer voters.
New party, same old broken promises
“We do not make much of the newly-formed political party which seemingly represents the same broken promises and failures of the ruling party, just in the form of a new political vehicle.”
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Ntuli said the IFP still enjoyed strong support in KZN and other parts of South Africa.
“The IFP, [is] the fourth largest party in the country, the official opposition in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and the party that controls the majority of municipalities in KZN,” Ntuli added.
Using Buthelezi’s face for campaigning
He said the party was growing from strength to strength and would stay true to its values after the death of founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi earlier this year.
The party will use Buthelezi as the face of their election campaign next year out of respect for the late patriarch of the party.
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It is a signatory of the Multi-Party Charter but will still contest the elections as before.
“The IFP will contest the elections as an individual party. However we recognise and value a broader effort to dislodge the ANC from power, to start the collective work of turning South Africa around,” Ntuli said.
