The IFP steamroller appeared to be gathering irresistible momentum since SA’s November 2021 Local Elections. In one by-election after the other, the IFP posted huge increases in the share of the vote and won an unprecedented eight wards off the ANC in the ruling party’s strongholds. So last week’s loss to the ANC in Estcourt’s Ward 14 was a shock, causing commentators to predict a rejuvenation for Ramaphosa’s beleaguered organisation. Not so, says IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa who puts the reverse down to ANC dirty tricks, not a sudden surge in popularity. Hlabisa, tipped by coalition partner Freedom Front Plus as SA’s most likely next president, shares the details. He also looks ahead to the opposition party codesa next month – and explains why any IFP post-2024 election coalition with the ANC would be “very, very difficult for us”. Even more so after last week’s shenanigans which have been reported, along with the evidence, to South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission. – Alec Hogg
Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.
Watch here
Relevant timestamps from the interview
00:00 – Introductions
01:20 – Velenkosini Hlabisa on IFP’s successful by-elections, swinging 8 wards away from ANC
04:58 – Hlabisa on the loss of ward 14 in Estcourt due to dirty ANC tricks
08:18 – How the IFP will approach the 2024 election
12:11 – On the upcoming meeting of opposition party leaders in August and working in a coalition
19:15 – If the IFP would consider a coalition with the ANC
22:37 – On plans to win the majority in KZN
Listen here
Edited transcript of the interview
Alec Hogg: Welcome, Velenkosini Hlabisa, President of the Inkatha Freedom Party. The IFP has been gaining momentum in KwaZulu-Natal in recent by-elections. However, there are some commentaries suggesting that your momentum might be waning due to the outcome of Ward 14 in the Estcourt area. But before we delve into that, let’s reflect on the past. Four months ago, during the November 2021 local elections, you won eight wards against the ANC. Was this unexpected outcome or part of a planned strategy?
Velenkosini Hlabisa: Thank you, Alec, and greetings to you and the viewers. Indeed, since the 2021 local government elections, the IFP has been performing exceptionally well, and we continue to do so. We had a strategic plan in place, as I mentioned in our previous interview. Our plan extends to 2024, 2026, and 2029. We aimed to assess our progress towards our desired goals through the by-elections. The results have been encouraging, as we have succeeded in capturing ANC strongholds, surprising them with our victories. We have taken away wards that the ANC had previously won in 2021. Moreover, we anticipate further success in upcoming by-elections. During our listening campaigns, we target areas known to be ANC strongholds. The response has been remarkable, with people endorsing the IFP and expressing their dissatisfaction with ANC councillors. Many wish the elections were imminent, so they could hand over their wards to the IFP. Our approach now involves engaging with people on the ground, conducting listening campaigns, and interacting with them in taxi ranks, streets, townships, and deep rural areas. We seek their opinions and feedback on how the government can better serve them. We focus on areas currently under ANC control, and the positive response reinforces our belief that people endorse the IFP.
Read more: FF Plus Leader Pieter Groenewald: Hlabisa for coalition President, Rejecting white Head of State
Alec Hogg: It’s indeed an impressive journey of late. However, there was a recent development in the Estcourt area where, for the first time in this cycle, you lost a ward to the ANC. Can you share what transpired in that particular situation?
Velenkosini Hlabisa: Yes, it was a very peculiar situation in Ward 14 in Inkosi Langalibalele. On election day, the ruling party in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC, brought food to the voting stations. They required people to confirm that they would vote for the ANC inside the station, and some were even coerced into taking photos of their ballots in exchange for food parcels. Unfortunately, many people go to bed with empty stomachs, so offering food in return for votes can be influential. The IFP has registered an objection in Ward 14 because there is clear evidence, including pictures, of campaigning through food distribution. It is disheartening to witness political parties exploiting poverty to secure votes rather than winning people’s support voluntarily. We hope the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will address this matter based on the evidence presented. Looking ahead, we are now focusing on the upcoming by-election on July 19th in Mthonjaneni, which has been an ANC ward. We are confident that the people of Mthonjaneni will endorse the IFP to govern that ward.
Alec Hogg: It is indeed an extraordinary situation, although we have seen similar incidents in the past, such as in Mayor Chris Pappas’s uMgeni. Apart from going to the IEC, what other recourse do you have? Looking ahead to 2024, if this tactic is employed extensively in rural areas, would you also consider distributing food parcels?
Velenkosini Hlabisa: By-elections are different because all resources are channeled into one specific area. In the case of Inkosi Langalibalele, they only targeted one ward with food parcels and other incentives. No political party can sustain distributing food parcels throughout the country in 2024. However, during a by-election, it is possible for a party to focus on providing resources for a particular ward. We are confident that the millions of people we will engage with in South Africa will respond to our call, recognising that next year’s elections are a crucial moment for our nation. If we want to address issues like crime, unemployment, load shedding, inflation, poverty, and poor service delivery, the upcoming elections are our opportunity to save South Africa from becoming a failed state. We will simplify our message and advise people not to fall into the trap of accepting food on election day because the same person who offers it does nothing to support their livelihood before or after elections. The right thing to do is to accept the food but cast their vote for an alternative government that will bring about change in the areas where the current government has failed. After 30 years, it is unacceptable that South Africa still has unemployed graduates and a majority of our youth remain jobless. Crime has instilled fear in everyone, whether driving a car, walking on the streets, or staying at home. We should not have a country characterised by high crime rates without swift arrests of the perpetrators.
Read more: Opposition party leaders to hold historic national convention on 16 and 17 August – Press release
Alec Hogg: Your perspective is indeed interesting, particularly highlighting the irony of those who have contributed to poverty now using it to gain votes. Switching gears, I want to discuss the recent announcement by John Steenhuisen of the Democratic Alliance. He mentioned that political leaders, including yourself, will be getting together on August 16th and 17th at the venue where CODESA was held, the IFP alongside six other parties. The objective is to establish a united front for the upcoming elections. How optimistic are you that you will reach a solid conclusion that can be carried into the 2024 elections and lead to victory?
Velenkosini Hlabisa: It is highly possible because all political parties have reached a common understanding. The ruling party has failed our country and our people. As long as the opposition remains divided, we cannot effectively convey an alternative message to the people of South Africa. This is precisely why we felt the need to meet earlier, to assure the people that coalition governments can work. One example we can refer to is the City of Johannesburg, where the constant motions of no confidence and the turnover of mayors have made it a laughing stock. If Johannesburg were a country, it would reflect poorly on its reputation. We want to convey a message to our people that without early preparation for a coalition government, it will inevitably fail. However, if we prepare in advance, we can invite experts from countries where coalition governments have been successful for nearly a century. In other countries, diverse political parties have formed sustainable governments that completed their terms in office. Preparation is crucial because coalitions require compromises on certain issues. But when we consider the needs of the people of South Africa, they desire a government that can address crime, load shedding, and unemployment, providing opportunities for the jobless youth. While there may be disagreements among the parties, I am confident that we will find common ground. We have been engaging with these political parties behind the scenes, knowing that some will join later next year and others immediately after the 2024 election results are announced. It is important to note that South Africa has only 14 days to form a government following the announcement of results, which is a short period for building a coalition. Looking at the extent of load shedding’s impact on small, medium, and large businesses, it is unlikely that the ruling party will secure more than 50% of the votes. There are 14 million registered voters who have lost hope and no longer participate in the voting process. We will appeal to these individuals because we have their information on the voter’s roll. We want to conduct face-to-face meetings during our listening campaign to understand their concerns. Some may feel that voting is futile, as they believe they cannot remove an incumbent government. We emphasise that the answer lies in casting their votes. If they abstain, the undesired government will remain in power. We must mobilise these 14 million people to vote against the government that has failed them, as demonstrated in the 2021 local government elections when the governing party was swept away from numerous municipalities. While COVID-19 posed challenges, preventing parties from conducting effective ground campaigns, we now have sufficient time to reach everyone and send a clear and simple message: If you do not vote, someone else will decide your future. By casting your vote, you are determining the government of the day and its impact on your future.
Read more: John Steenhuisen: How the DA will beat EFF and the fragmenting ANC and win in 2024
Alec Hogg: Some political analysts suggest that with the IFP’s growth, you will become an attractive coalition partner for the ANC. Is that something you would consider?
Velenkosini Hlabisa: You know, Alec, the IFP has a history of participating in the government of national unity in 1994, which included the ANC. However, entering into a coalition with the ANC would be a challenging decision for several reasons. Firstly, we have the outcomes of the Zondo Commission, which require the ANC to demonstrate a genuine commitment to fighting corruption. It would be contradictory to speak out against corruption and then form a coalition with a political party that is synonymous with corruption. The ANC has failed our country, as evident in issues like load shedding, crime, and unemployment. If we were to form a coalition with a party that has been unable to bring about change over a span of 30 years, how would we justify this to the voters? Some may argue that they voted for us to remove a failed government, only to find ourselves aligning with that same government. That is why I emphasise that it would be a difficult decision to make. While the IFP shares a common history and certain principles with the ANC, the current state of the ANC is deeply concerning. Mobilising people to remove the ANC from power and then bringing them back into power after the elections would create a contradiction. This decision is not as straightforward as it may appear from an analyst’s perspective; it is complex and challenging from a political and practical standpoint.
Alec Hogg: Just to wrap up, after 2024, with your coalition with the Democratic Alliance, which seems to be working well at the local level in various municipalities, winning the province of KwaZulu-Natal would seem like a top priority for you. Is that the case?
Velenkosini Hlabisa: Our primary focus in KwaZulu-Natal is to secure a full mandate from the voters. Coalition governments have their challenges so it is preferable to have a majority mandate from the voters. We will work diligently to gain the majority support of the people of KwaZulu-Natal, and we believe it is very much possible. We have analysed the numbers and identified areas such as eThekwini Metro and Pietermaritzburg, which together constitute 43% of the voters in KwaZulu-Natal. It is crucial for us to make inroads in these areas, as our success in Tugela River and the north may not be sufficient if we do not perform well in eThekwini and Pietermaritzburg. Therefore, our initial priority is to secure majority support as a single political party. However, if the voters do not grant us that majority, we will have to consider a coalition government. In that case, our preferred choice would be the parties we are currently working with.
Read also:
PA’s Cilliers on Joburg by-election win, thrashing ANC, sending message to DA
Helen Zille on Joburg chaos: Gayton “played” DA’s Moonshot partners, always defaults to supporting ANC
BOSA’s Mmusi Maimane – “In 2024, I’ll be one of four options for SA president”
(Visited 6 times, 6 visits today)
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : BizNews – https://www.biznews.com/interviews/2023/07/04/hlabisa-anc-food-bribery-behind-ifp-election-reverse