ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said ANC peace talks with Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi would continue despite new fallout with the IFP. Photo archives.
Durban — Despite the continuing acrimonious public spat between the ANC and IFP over the results in Umhlathuze Local Municipality’s ward 12 by-election, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal said the process undertaken with Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi to heal wounds caused by political violence would continue.
The IFP snatched the fiercely contested ward from the ANC with 460 votes but the ANC has rejected the results and lodged a dispute with the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC).
Before and during voting, the parties were engaged in accusations and counter-accusations and the rejection of the results by the ANC brought fears that the reconciliation process asked for by Buthelezi was in jeopardy but the ANC said talks were continuing.
ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said although his party understood Buthelezi was inseparable from the IFP, the reconciliation was not with the IFP but Buthelezi himself, to honour his wish of reconciling with the ANC before he died.
“Nothing will disturb these talks. It’s not about the IFP but it has to do with Inkosi Buthelezi. Although we know he is inseparable from the IFP, we are talking to him and it will be up to him if he brings his party along,” said Mndebele.
Despite the ANC saying it had lodged a dispute, IEC provincial spokesperson Thabani Ngwira said the by-election went well, and denied receiving any complaint from the ANC.
Fears of souring the relationship between the two parties were exacerbated by widespread rumours that the ANC and EFF had agreed to work together to dislodge the IFP from power in close to 20 municipalities in the province which it was currently governing with the assistance of the EFF. While the by-election was under way in Umhlathuze, the ANC provincial leadership was meeting the EFF national leadership in Joburg to discuss the coalition. Although both parties have still to release public statements about the outcome of their meeting, EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu posted on his Twitter page that the talks were fruitful, and many believed the parties had reached an agreement.
Rumours of the EFF agreeing to dump the IFP for the ANC emerged last month after the EFF revealed it had been approached by the ANC leadership in the province and in Gauteng to form coalitions in hung KZN municipalities.
This prompted both the IFP and ANC to heighten their campaigns to win the by-election in Umhlathuze at all costs. Mathematically if the ANC had retained the ward it would have stood a better chance of reclaiming the municipality with EFF support but after losing the ward hopes were dashed.
In the 67-seat council the ANC currently has 26 seats, followed by IFP with 24, DA with 8, EFF with 6, while the NFP, ACDP and FF+ have one each. Had the ANC won the by-election it would have added EFF and NFP votes and reached 34 seats which are needed to govern the mineral-rich municipality. The IFP win means it can continue governing without the EFF as long as the DA, FF+ and ACDP still support it since they make up 34 seats now.
After Buthelezi pleaded several times with the ANC to meet him and iron out the remaining issues between their parties born out of the deadly political violence before he dies, the ANC finally heeded his call and appointed a team of senior party elders led by Dr Zweli Mkhize to meet him.
Daily News