Canaan Mdletshe

Canaan Mdletshe

IFP general secretary Musa Zondi has denied rumours that his party was planning to form an alliance with other opposition parties in the province to defeat the ANC in the next elections.

Rumours abound following the IFP's media statements about its relaunch next week on Wednesday.

Zondi yesterday said the relaunch had nothing to do with forming an alliance with any political party or of taking advantage of rumblings within the ANC.

"We are relaunching the IFP's values and policies that have been revised. We will be repositioning ourselves and unveiling our purpose as a political party. From time to time, people's needs change so you need to flow with those changes."

Zondi said the IFP was simply presenting itself in a new format as an instrumental party to voters.

"The January 23 event will be an historic occasion in which the values, story and revamped policy programme of the IFP will be launched."

Zondi added that the IFP would only launch its election campaign after President Thabo Mbeki has announced the poll date.

But political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu said the IFP was relaunching because it had realised that it had lost appeal among the people, especially in KwaZulu-Natal where it has traditionally been dominant.