After staging a mutiny on Monday against the president of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) Velenkosini Hlabisa, the heat is now on the mutineers.
On Sunday, Hlabisa and his backers were caught off-guard when 20 members of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) filed a petition requesting a sitting of the national council, the highest decision-making body within the IFP.
The faction reportedly sought to hit Hlabisa with a vote of no confidence and push him out of the race to become the next Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, should the IFP win the province during next year’s elections.
However, their request for a special sitting was denied by the party’s secretary-general, Siphosethu Ngcbo, who criticised the petition as vague and declared that the national council should not be convened frivolously.
The faction then faced another blow when a majority of NEC members supported the idea that Hlabisa should be allowed to lead without hindrance.
One of the dissenting members was even shown the door when attempting to attend the NEC meeting on Monday.
Prince Ndabuko Zulu, mayor of Amajuba District Municipality, and Inkosi Ntandoyenkosi Shabalala of Uthukela district municipality were among the 20 mayors who signed the petition.
The national spokesperson of the IFP, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, clarified that the decision to ask Zulu to leave was not related to disagreements over the party’s leadership.
Instead, he explained that Zulu was asked to leave due to his involvement in the petition, and it would have been unusual to allow him to sit through the meeting. Hlengwa emphasised that issues of the elections have not been discussed, and that Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the founder of the IFP, remains the face of the party.
The political shifts within the IFP reflect broader challenges and potential changes within the party as it approaches key elections.
The situation is likely to continue to evolve as the IFP prepares its strategy for the upcoming electoral battles.
Politics
