19 hung municipalities in KZN forced moment of truth
THE ANC has finally called in the National Freedom Party's debt, bringing it into a coalition to give the ANC control of 19 hung municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.
It was meant to be checkmate in a strategic ANC game to usurp control from the IFP at local government level.
I exposed the ANC's game plan in the National Assembly months before the elections, when I tabled overwhelming evidence that the formation of the NFP was bankrolled by some ANC leaders.
I detailed how ANC money and propaganda were used to promote Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi; how the ANC Women's League sang "Zanele is ours" long before she left the IFP; how the ANC's heavyweight, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale, publicly confirmed the lie that she was being persecuted; how hordes of ANC members flocked to the high court to support her failed case against us; how KwaZulu-Natal premier Zweli Mkhize clandestinely met her just before she split our party; how the media was paid off to protect her from negative reporting; how a close confidante of the ANC president Jacob Zuma sponsored NFP members; and how secret funding was provided for the campaign in Zululand.
The ANC was backing the NFP.
The plot was to split the vote between the IFP and NFP, enabling the ANC to gain the majority.
This was tested in Umlalazi and Umtshezi during by-elections prior to May 18, when NFP members stood as independent candidates and handed those municipalities to the ANC.
This is why KaMagwaza-Msibi did not join the ANC when she left the IFP in January; because the vote would then still be between the IFP and the ANC. It would have prematurely exposed the truth that the NFP was an ANC project.
The question was not how they would win the elections, but how they would spin it to the people when the plot was uncovered.
The 19 hung municipalities forced the moment of truth.
The ANC could not take control without bringing in the NFP, and the NFP was indebted to the ANC.
Mkhize has claimed that "the ANC-NFP relationship . has been founded on the understanding that the communities under the municipalities that will be co-governed by the ANC and the NFP have instructed us to work together to speed up service delivery".
What utter rubbish. The communities were never asked post-elections whether they would like an ANC-NFP coalition.
They were asked their opinion during elections, and they spoke.
Wherever the IFP got more votes than the NFP, or even won the majority, the electorate was saying they preferred the IFP to govern.
But the ANC refused to co-govern with the IFP. It was not the will of the people for the ANC to co-govern with the NFP. As always, it was the will of the ANC.
The ANC has claimed that "the will of the people" for many of its mistakes and treacheries. But this time the people are not impressed.
KaMagwaza-Msibi's most staunch followers have now complained that they were not consulted and have no intention of working with the ANC.
Despite the coalition announcement, the IFP's Stan Larkan has been elected unopposed as mayor in Umlalazi and the IFP's Mrs Xulu as the speaker. The NFP accepted the deputy speaker's position, while the ANC simply walked out. Clearly the people did not ask for an ANC-NFP coalition in Umlalazi.
The NFP, being young and inexperienced, had a little more trouble with its spin. KaMagwaza-Msibi announced: "We have come to the conclusion that our parties share the same values, desires and vision. hence we need to work together".
When did she come to this conclusion? She spent two years protesting that she was more IFP than the IFP itself.
Just days before she took leadership of the NFP, she was still publicly protesting that her heart was with the IFP and she would never leave it.
The NFP offered no ideological differences that would explain why, after decades of promoting IFP policy in a leadership position - without once expressing a diverging opinion - KaMagwaza-Msibi felt a new party was needed. There was no coherent vision or mission statement. Their values and policies were the IFP's.
But when riding the IFP's coat tails became less lucrative than riding the ANC's, the NFP suddenly realised that it was really more in tune with the ANC's "values, desires and vision".
The electorate has been betrayed; but they are not fools.
As I repeatedly warned, a vote for the NFP was a vote for the ANC. But there is no comfort in saying "I told you so". For when the ANC's plots come to fruition, our people suffer.
At last the IFP has been forced into a position we are well-equipped to occupy; opposition politics.
The IFP can do radical opposition. We will remain a thorn in the ANC's flesh.
Before the ANC called in the NFP's debt, KaMagwaza-Msibi hoped to coerce the IFP into apologising for exposing the truth about the NFP. But we could not deny the truth nor apologise for telling it.
It is in the nature of the IFP to expose political manipulation that is antithetical to democracy. And we will keep on doing it.
The NFP was an 'ANC project' - Buthelezi
19 hung municipalities in KZN forced moment of truth
THE ANC has finally called in the National Freedom Party's debt, bringing it into a coalition to give the ANC control of 19 hung municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.
It was meant to be checkmate in a strategic ANC game to usurp control from the IFP at local government level.
I exposed the ANC's game plan in the National Assembly months before the elections, when I tabled overwhelming evidence that the formation of the NFP was bankrolled by some ANC leaders.
I detailed how ANC money and propaganda were used to promote Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi; how the ANC Women's League sang "Zanele is ours" long before she left the IFP; how the ANC's heavyweight, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale, publicly confirmed the lie that she was being persecuted; how hordes of ANC members flocked to the high court to support her failed case against us; how KwaZulu-Natal premier Zweli Mkhize clandestinely met her just before she split our party; how the media was paid off to protect her from negative reporting; how a close confidante of the ANC president Jacob Zuma sponsored NFP members; and how secret funding was provided for the campaign in Zululand.
The ANC was backing the NFP.
The plot was to split the vote between the IFP and NFP, enabling the ANC to gain the majority.
This was tested in Umlalazi and Umtshezi during by-elections prior to May 18, when NFP members stood as independent candidates and handed those municipalities to the ANC.
This is why KaMagwaza-Msibi did not join the ANC when she left the IFP in January; because the vote would then still be between the IFP and the ANC. It would have prematurely exposed the truth that the NFP was an ANC project.
The question was not how they would win the elections, but how they would spin it to the people when the plot was uncovered.
The 19 hung municipalities forced the moment of truth.
The ANC could not take control without bringing in the NFP, and the NFP was indebted to the ANC.
Mkhize has claimed that "the ANC-NFP relationship . has been founded on the understanding that the communities under the municipalities that will be co-governed by the ANC and the NFP have instructed us to work together to speed up service delivery".
What utter rubbish. The communities were never asked post-elections whether they would like an ANC-NFP coalition.
They were asked their opinion during elections, and they spoke.
Wherever the IFP got more votes than the NFP, or even won the majority, the electorate was saying they preferred the IFP to govern.
But the ANC refused to co-govern with the IFP. It was not the will of the people for the ANC to co-govern with the NFP. As always, it was the will of the ANC.
The ANC has claimed that "the will of the people" for many of its mistakes and treacheries. But this time the people are not impressed.
KaMagwaza-Msibi's most staunch followers have now complained that they were not consulted and have no intention of working with the ANC.
Despite the coalition announcement, the IFP's Stan Larkan has been elected unopposed as mayor in Umlalazi and the IFP's Mrs Xulu as the speaker. The NFP accepted the deputy speaker's position, while the ANC simply walked out. Clearly the people did not ask for an ANC-NFP coalition in Umlalazi.
The NFP, being young and inexperienced, had a little more trouble with its spin. KaMagwaza-Msibi announced: "We have come to the conclusion that our parties share the same values, desires and vision. hence we need to work together".
When did she come to this conclusion? She spent two years protesting that she was more IFP than the IFP itself.
Just days before she took leadership of the NFP, she was still publicly protesting that her heart was with the IFP and she would never leave it.
The NFP offered no ideological differences that would explain why, after decades of promoting IFP policy in a leadership position - without once expressing a diverging opinion - KaMagwaza-Msibi felt a new party was needed. There was no coherent vision or mission statement. Their values and policies were the IFP's.
But when riding the IFP's coat tails became less lucrative than riding the ANC's, the NFP suddenly realised that it was really more in tune with the ANC's "values, desires and vision".
The electorate has been betrayed; but they are not fools.
As I repeatedly warned, a vote for the NFP was a vote for the ANC. But there is no comfort in saying "I told you so". For when the ANC's plots come to fruition, our people suffer.
At last the IFP has been forced into a position we are well-equipped to occupy; opposition politics.
The IFP can do radical opposition. We will remain a thorn in the ANC's flesh.
Before the ANC called in the NFP's debt, KaMagwaza-Msibi hoped to coerce the IFP into apologising for exposing the truth about the NFP. But we could not deny the truth nor apologise for telling it.
It is in the nature of the IFP to expose political manipulation that is antithetical to democracy. And we will keep on doing it.
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