Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) supporters gathered at Community House in Salt River, Cape Town, for the party's Western Cape manifesto launch on Friday.

About 300 people wearing T-shirts bearing Inkatha Freedom Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi's image and the words "Sethembe" and "Trust Us" gathered in the hall for the launch.

Supporters were in a party mood, singing along to the IFP's election mix which included isicathamiya renditions of calls to vote for the party in the August 3 municipal elections.

Western Cape publicity secretary Kenneth Blorie worked up the crowd with shouts of "Khayelitsha, are you here?", and the group of mostly women let out lengthy ululations and whistles and shouted "Yes!"

Choosing to avoid the battle of the stadiums, the party chose the hall - a labour movement heritage site - for its launch.

Supporters harmonised loudly as they sang in the support of the party, stamping on the golden wooden floors with gusto.

6 Western Cape branches

Many of the songs were familiar cross-party favourites, such as the well-known "My President", with the name of the IFP or Buthelezi substituted.

Western Cape IFP chairperson Raymond Mtati told News24 that the party had six branches in the Western Cape. They were in: Green Park, Khayelitsha, Langa, Nyanga, Manenberg and Happy Valley.

Although there had been a good response to campaigning, he said supporters driving in a bus from Drift Sands had been intimidated by ANC supporters earlier on Friday.

"They wanted to know why they were supporting a 'foreign national'," said Mtati, referring to Buthelezi's home base of KwaZulu-Natal.

When Buthelezi arrived, he looked delighted by the reception that he and fellow MPs Narend Singh, Liezl van der Merwe and Mkhuleko Hlengwa received. They were also accompanied by former IFP caucus leader Eric Lucas.

In opening remarks, Singh, who is the party's treasurer general, said: "Give the IFP a chance in the Western Cape. We are not saying we are going to run the city, we want a foot in the door. We want a fresh breeze in the city," he said, asking the supporters to spread the word.

He said the IFP was not the "black Zulu party from KwaZulu-Natal" as it was sometimes labelled, but a party that represented all people.

The IFP wanted to hear on August 4 that it had councillors in the Western Cape, he said.