ANC’s Sihle Zikalala visits Hlobane

SPEAKING in Hlobane, provincial ANC secretary Sihle Zikalala said at the weekend that the ANC could seek cooperation with other parties, including the NFP.

“We have not ruled out the possibility for cooperation with the NFP again or any other party. The outcome of the local government elections will determine this.”

The NFP and the ANC have held on to 19 hung municipalities they agreed to co-govern in June 2011.

Since then the ANC has lost only two through by-elections and council manoeuvrings.After the 2011 local government elections the IFP had an outright majority in Ulundi and Msinga in Tugela Ferry, and won President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla Municipality from the ANC/NFP coalition.

The local government elections on May 18 2011 resulted in 19 hung municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.The ANC had a majority in 14 of them, the IFP in four (two snatched away by the ANC/NFP coalition) and the NFP one in Nongoma.

However, the NFP says it is going to the elections to win, and co-governing is secondary.

NFP secretary-general Professor Nhlanhla Khubisa said: “The memorandum of understanding that we have with the ANC ends on election day this year.We will be guided and advised by the party’s NWC and the party members on who we can enter into partnership with should the need arise, not the ANC. But we cannot rule out the partnership again.”

After the ANC and the NFP entered into a coalition, the IFP said the co-operation signalled a “dark day for democracy in KwaZulu-Natal”.

IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said back then: “I repeatedly warned the electorate that a vote for the NFP is a vote for the ANC. Today my warning has been confirmed.”

Zikalala said first prize was to win Pongola, Dumbe (Paulpietersburg) and Vryheid outright in the Zululand district.”We are aware that winning Nongoma and Ulundi will take a long time to accomplish because of the political history of the two towns. Visible service delivery will see us through this,” he said.