A RESOLUTION by the national council of the IFP that party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi should continue as leader is likely to cause more harm than good for the divided party.
A RESOLUTION by the national council of the IFP that party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi should continue as leader is likely to cause more harm than good for the divided party.
This is the warning by University of KwaZulu-Natal political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu.
His warning comes after the national council of the IFP decided that Buthelezi should continue playing a unifying role and that neither national chairperson Zanele Magwaza-Msibi nor general secretary Musa Zondi should avail themselves for nominations to take over from Buthelezi when he retires.
"This shows that Buthelezi will continue leading the party.
"He is well above 80 years old and really should have retired from active politics by now," Ndlovu said.
He said the resolution was a clear indication that the party was unable to produce new leaders within its ranks that can take it to the next level.
"If I were a member of the IFP, I would be seriously concerned.
"If something were to happen to Buthelezi, it would be the beginning of an end of the party.
"Infighting would tear it apart," he warned.
Ndlovu said IFP leaders should not have postponed the elective conference to April next year.
He felt that holding a conference this year would have availed whoever would have been elected an opportunity to unify the party before local government elections in 2011.
"Holding a conference this year would have simply meant that whoever is elected has a bit of time to visit branches, address members at grassroots level," Ndlovu said.
'IFP council decision on Buthelezi is harmful'
A RESOLUTION by the national council of the IFP that party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi should continue as leader is likely to cause more harm than good for the divided party.
A RESOLUTION by the national council of the IFP that party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi should continue as leader is likely to cause more harm than good for the divided party.
This is the warning by University of KwaZulu-Natal political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu.
His warning comes after the national council of the IFP decided that Buthelezi should continue playing a unifying role and that neither national chairperson Zanele Magwaza-Msibi nor general secretary Musa Zondi should avail themselves for nominations to take over from Buthelezi when he retires.
"This shows that Buthelezi will continue leading the party.
"He is well above 80 years old and really should have retired from active politics by now," Ndlovu said.
He said the resolution was a clear indication that the party was unable to produce new leaders within its ranks that can take it to the next level.
"If I were a member of the IFP, I would be seriously concerned.
"If something were to happen to Buthelezi, it would be the beginning of an end of the party.
"Infighting would tear it apart," he warned.
Ndlovu said IFP leaders should not have postponed the elective conference to April next year.
He felt that holding a conference this year would have availed whoever would have been elected an opportunity to unify the party before local government elections in 2011.
"Holding a conference this year would have simply meant that whoever is elected has a bit of time to visit branches, address members at grassroots level," Ndlovu said.