Date: 21/08/2010
Source: The Inkatha Freedom Party
Title: IFP: Buthelezi: Address by the IFP president, at the IFP extended national council meeting, Ulundi

There has been a serious turn of events in the IFP which has caused me
to request the National Executive Committee to call an Extended
National Council. The issues at hand go beyond the authority of the
NEC or the National Council, and can only properly be discussed in an
Extended National Council in which our constituencies and districts
are also represented. I therefore thank you for heeding the call to
meet so that we may address what is becoming a grim situation with the
potential for disaster.

The time has come for me to talk directly to the people. Over the past
two decades, I have been waiting for the opportunity to resolve the
unfinished business between the ANC and the IFP. Before the April 2009
elections, President Zuma himself mentioned that this outstanding
business must be completed. Again this year, before he travelled to
Brazil, he gave us the assurance that he would meet with me upon his
return. That meeting never took place as the President was
unavailable. Before his State visit to Britain he repeated his
assurances, but again we did not meet.

When he invited me to King's House on 16 July this year, President
Zuma expressed his regret that we have not yet come together to
discuss the unfinished business between the ANC and IFP which flows
from the conflicts of the eighties and nineties. I too regret that we
have not seen that wound completely healed for lack of interaction at
the highest level, and I have made myself available every day, at any
time, to wind up this serious unfinished business.

I am therefore deeply concerned by what we are seeing in terms of the
ANC's involvement in the anarchy and ructions in our Party. This
development does not bode well for our final reconciliation and it
muddies the waters between our two parties. There has been a string of
incidents that leave no room for the benefit of the doubt. There is no
longer any doubt that certain people in the ANC are fomenting and even
instigating the ructions in our Party.

I have openly expressed my concern and ire over the scurrilous
behaviour of the ANC's Minister Tokyo Sexwale, who came to this
Province and publically announced that we as the leadership of the IFP
are persecuting our National Chairperson, Mrs VZ Magwaza-Msibi. On 10
February this year, SABC News quoted Minister Sexwale, speaking at the
ANC's 98th Anniversary Celebration, as saying, "She must know that we
love her and she must come back home to the ANC. She is being
ill-treated in the IFP." This lie, spoken by a national Minister,
received credibility in the media and the public eye.

The ANC Women's League was quick to jump on the bandwagon, confirming
the lie and disingenuously offering Mrs Magwaza-Msibi their sympathy
and succour. The Women's League's Provincial Chairperson, Ms Lungi
Gcabashe, was quoted in the Sowetan on 4 February as saying, "There is
only one conclusion to be drawn from the IFP's decision to redeploy
its chairperson, which is that there is no place for women in the
IFP". This despite the fact that our Chairperson's redeployment was a
promotion from the third tier level of government, to the second.
Gcabashe added the lie that "Scores of brilliant women have? left the
IFP" citing "limited room for growth and a general lack of respect".

Despite our Party's impeccable record of promoting gender equality and
women's rights, people fell hook, line and sinker for the lie that the
IFP is sexist. Suddenly the ructions in the Party were put down to our
supposed fear of having a woman lead the Party. This is both
ridiculous and defamatory.

All of you are witness to the fact that it was I and all of you in the
Party who during the general election proposed the name of Mrs
kaMagwaza-Msibi as the IFP's candidate for the position of Premier of
the Province of KwaZulu Natal. It was the first time that anyone's
face was used during an election as a candidate for the position of
Premier since 1994. In spite of all our efforts, our votes in the
Province fell to the lowest level that they have ever reached in all
the previous elections.

All of you are aware of all that has transpired in the Party since the
general election of last year. There were many of our candidates for
the KwaZulu Natal Legislature who could not go to the Legislature
owing to the few votes we received. It is extraordinary that most of
the people who have started ructions in the Party are some of our
members who failed, as a result of the few votes, to go to the
Legislature and to Parliament.

The ANC's commentary on the IFP's business has begun to flow thick and
fast. Our National Council resolved in July to postpone Conference
after it became clear that Conference would be marred by violence.
Apart from the threat of violence, many of our branches,
constituencies and districts were still not inaugurated. Following our
decision, the Provincial Secretary of the ANC Youth League in KwaZulu
Natal, Mr Bheki Mtolo, delivered a scathing attack.

On 20 July 2010, The Star quoted Mtolo as saying: "The IFP is not a
democratic organization but a traditional cultural movement led by a
dictator." He went on to say about me that, "This man has deliberately
postponed the conference because he fears that he might be voted out."
Mtolo accused me of "dirty tricks" and invited the youth of the IFP
and "everyone else who believes in democratic principles to leave the
IFP and join the ANC."

And hot on the heels of Mtolo's attack, the KwaZulu Natal Provincial
Secretary of COSATU, Mr Zet Luzipho issued a statement on 26 July,
which was published on COSATU's website and released to the media, in
which he pontificates over why our National Council took the decision
to postpone Conference, despite the fact that we had clearly stated
our reasons. In his statement, Luzipho lavishes praise on the
President of the country for his intention to meet with me, warning us
that we should "welcome such intervention which is aimed at ensuring
that the IFP continues to exist?". The President, says Luzipho, is the
one person who understands succession battles and we should respect
the process as he tries to broker peace within the IFP. We should
appreciate the President's intervention.

Luzipho then launched into an outrageous attack on me, pontificating
over personal family matters and drawing judgment on me for owning a
gun. My life has been threatened countless times, often by people in
the tripartite alliance. Yet Luzipho claims that, because of my age, I
should be barred from owning a weapon. He pleads with the police to
refuse me a gun license in the future, failing which he threatens to
lodge a formal complaint. Why is he so intent on disarming me
immediately after the National Police Commissioner has warned of
assassination threats against an unnamed IFP leader?

The National Commissioner has even added two more officers to my
security team, confirming the rising threats even to my own life. The
National Commissioner came to see me in my office, accompanied by the
Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service.

Luzipho's commentary was shocking to say the least. The IFP Youth
Brigade and SADESMO took the ANC Youth League to task for interfering
in our internal business. In response, also on the 26th of July, Mr
Bheki Mtolo was quoted in the Daily News as saying, "As the alliance
we are the leaders of this country. We lead everybody, including the
IFP. That is why we have a right to comment on their affairs, but they
cannot do the same about us because they are not our leaders."

Words cannot begin to describe how utterly outrageous the ANC's
interference had become. We hoped it was limited to a few hotheads and
would soon simmer down. But just recently, during Women's Week, during
a sitting of the KwaZulu Natal Legislature, Members of the ANC began
singing derogatory songs about me, calling me by my pet name, as ANC
cadres did during the internecine war of the eighties to goad me and
insult me. These ANC Members in the Legislature sang, "Gatsha is
afraid of a woman" and "Zanele belongs to us". This did not take place
in the streets or in a shebeen, but in the corridors of power by
people who are supposed to lead our nation.

One young member of the IFP was angered by this singing and it became
necessary to stop a serious altercation. Later the Members of the ANC
present confronted a member of our National Council, the Mayor of
Jozini, Mrs Mthethwa, who is the Secretary of the Women's Brigade and
of the NEC, asking her which camp she belongs to. There was an ugly
scene, which Mrs Mthethwa will elaborate for us further.

All these incidents point to the ANC or a section of the ANC being
involved in stirring trouble in our Party. There have been all sorts
of talk that the ructions in the IFP pivot around the need for change.
But it has been clear from who is involved and what they are doing
that the motives behind all these problems are self-interest, ambition
and greed. And now we have seen enough to convince us that certain
people at the highest level of the ANC are involved in creating and
fomenting these ructions.

There is an underlying sinister message, which we ignore at our own
peril; far from closing the chapter on the ANC-IFP conflict which cost
so many lives during the low intensity civil war, the ANC is
continuing the conflict. I do not say this as an accusation meant to
stir up tensions. The tensions are clearly already there. I am saying
this because it is time to speak openly, and acknowledge that the ANC
is deliberately aggravating the problems in our Party in the hope of
destroying their old enemy, the IFP.

We know that there are people within the IFP and people from outside
our Party who are on the ANC's payroll to stir up trouble for the
Party. This is not just a conflict between IFP members. It is
engineered by members of the ANC who are using money to bribe and
corrupt. This is not a game. People have died. And in all likelihood
more violence will follow if we are not able to resolve our problems
before holding Conference. Matters have become very serious indeed.

In order for us to resolve the tensions and heal the divisions, we
must clear the air regarding our National Chairperson. Let me put on
record again that our National Chairperson, Mrs KaMagwaza-Msibi, has
not been charged before any disciplinary structure of the Party. A
resolution was passed on 10 July 2010 to launch an internal
investigation to determine whether there is any connection between our
National Chairperson and the people who have done so much harm to our
Party in her name; the "Friends of VZ". This investigation was deemed
necessary for several reasons.

In a public statement published on the first of March this year, our
National Chairperson distanced herself from the activities of the
"Friends of VZ", admonishing them for dividing the Party and
threatening legal action if they did not desist. But the divisive
activities of the "Friends of VZ" continued. They still produced
T-shirts bearing her image, with the slogan "VZ 100%". They still held
meetings, rallies and protests in her name. They still spread lies to
the media. They disrupted elective meetings of our Party, and even
engaged in violence and murder. Through all this, our National
Chairperson did not seek to stop them through legal action as she
claimed she would.

For this reason, faced with the seriousness of the matter, National
Council decided that an investigation should be launched. I have given
our National Chairperson several opportunities to clear her name, but
she declined to do so. We felt that, given the damaging nature of the
assumptions being made both in the Party and in the media, it is
necessary for us to assist the National Chairperson to speak openly
within the structures of the Party, so that we may find a way forwards
to renewed unity.

Rather than improving, we are seeing a deterioration of discipline
within the Party, which also begs us to deal swiftly with these
problems. People continue to transgress against our Constitution,
rejecting legitimate structures and preferring to air their views in
the public spotlight. Several weeks ago SABC News covered a protest
march in Johannesburg where the "Friends of VZ" rallied against my
leadership. But many of the protestors in their "100% VZ" T-shirts
were bussed in from Durban and Pietermaritzburg, to give the
impression that our structures in Gauteng are seeking my resignation.

This is not the case. Our members in Gauteng have already indicated
where they stand, and they have done so through the appropriate
structures. At our last Extended National Council, Mr Ngobese conveyed
the decision of the Gauteng National Council on these issues. His
report expressed their support for my continued leadership. There is
no doubt that the wellspring of all the commotion is Durban.

Last week Isolezwe carried a story about a meeting of the Women's
Brigade in the Durban Metro. Instead of attending a prayer meeting
organized by their NEC, some women held a meeting at Dalton Hostel on
the 9th of August during which they made utterances to the effect that
they are sick and tired of my leadership, and that I should now make
way for the National Chairperson. It is not clear who these women were
speaking for. Their structure was dismantled after elections and they
have no right to claim legitimacy as a structure or to speak on behalf
of the Party. This was an act of rebellion.

I want to open an opportunity for those who support them to speak to
us today and declare their view within this structure. Have the guts
to say to our faces what they are saying behind our backs. Let us
gauge where people really stand, so the truth may prevail.

I am told that in a meeting of the 15th in Dalton, Mrs Bongi Mtshali,
who is also known as Mrs Gwala and Mrs Angel Mthembu, was told that
the NEC of the Province had already charged her and she was advised
not to attend. Her case was decided in her absence. Rebellion
continues and our image is being destroyed. How can we just sit back
and do nothing? So the PEC of the Province had to deal with the matter.

Last month I received a letter signed by people who claim to represent
the Durban Metro constituencies, stating that I must have someone
receive their memorandum at our offices. People are being schooled in
Durban to demonstrate against their own party. This is unheard of.
When these demonstrations first started, our Secretary General was
insulted and placards were put up saying that I should retire. But the
situation has deteriorated into something far more serious.

Since we last met, there have been more deaths in Estcourt. Last week,
also in Estcourt, IFP supporters were attacked with R1 rifles. Their
car was a write-off and they incurred some injury; but thanks God they
survived. There is no denying that the situation is getting worse. We
need to attend to these matters before we meet at Conference. We
cannot have serene discussions at Conference with all this hanging in
the air. The future of our Party is at stake.

There have been attempts by the "Friends of VZ" to force us to hold
Conference before we have dealt with these problems. On the 16th of
July 2010 an urgent application was heard in the Durban High Court
under case number 7768/2010. It was brought by Sibusiso Lukhele and
seven others in an attempt to interdict the IFP to proceed with an
elective conference on the 23rd to 25th of July. The Honourable Madame
Justice Dhaya Pillay dismissed the application with costs against the
applicants, making it clear in her Judgment that the IFP's
Constitution does not impose any obligation to hold an elective
conference.

Four days later, Mr Wiseman Mcoyi and three others brought another
urgent application in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, under case
number 5449/2010. Once again the application was brought as an
interdict to force the IFP to hold an elective conference, and
attacked the validity of our National Council. The matter was heard by
the Honourable Mr Justice Msimang Judge President, who refused to
allocate a date for the hearing and ordered that the matter be
postponed sine die. The parties were directed to return to court on
the 3rd of September to approach the senior civil judge to arrange a
date for a hearing. That in itself will delay any of the efforts we
are making to have a date for the Conference as our very status is
under question.

The "Friends of VZ" are trying to force our hand while we are at a
weak point. It is clear that if we contest the 2011 Local Government
Elections in our present condition, the IFP is going to be wiped off
the political map. I cannot overemphasise the importance of resolving
these tensions before our Conference, to allow Conference to focus on
our preparedness for the 2011 elections. We have an enormous task
ahead of us to mobilise support and secure votes. In many ways, we are
lagging behind on the campaign trail and we need to step up our
activities in terms of canvassing support, arranging meetings,
organising transport and getting the IFP message into communities.

Our problems have generated a great deal of negative publicity and we
are going to have work twice as hard to capture the votes. But I
believe we have what it takes to produce a strong showing at the
polls, provided that we are able to overcome the divisions we face
right now and create unity in the Party again. The IFP can emerge from
this dark night as a stronger Party. It is within our power to make a
comeback. These are not just empty words. I have sat at the helm of
this Party for 35 years. I am quite aware what we are capable of.

I put before this Extended National Council the challenge of plotting
a way forward. We can no longer ignore the fact that there are
puppet-masters outside the Party pulling the strings of the "Friends
of VZ". They are doing it with money and they are doing it to destroy
us. What will we do with this knowledge? How can we navigate a
peaceful way out of this situation? At all costs, we must avoid
fuelling tensions between the IFP and the ANC. We cannot allow
ourselves to be goaded into retaliation.

It was partly for this reason that I asked for an appointment this
past week with the Deputy President of the ANC, who is also the Deputy
President of the country, His Excellency Kgalema Motlanthe, to inform
him about this involvement of some members of the ANC in dividing and
destroying the IFP. I told the Deputy President of the ANC that I do
not believe that there has been a decision taken by the ANC to do this
to me and the IFP. He confirmed this to me. In fact, he was not even
aware that the President of the ANC, His Excellency Mr Jacob Zuma, had
called me to meet with him in Durban on the 16th of July.

He was not aware of the utterances by Minister Tokyo Sexwale. The
Deputy President was also not aware of the accusation that was made by
the ANC Women's League that we are persecuting our National
Chairperson. He was quite shaken when I also related to him what
members of the ANC's Women's League did at the Women's Sitting of the
KwaZulu Natal Legislature on the 8th of July in Mtuba. He was also not
aware of the large sums of money that some ANC businessmen are making
available to the "Friends of VZ" to cause the havoc that is taking
place in the IFP. Some of these businessmen were involved in the
"Friends of JZ" during the Polokwane happenings in the ANC.

I explained to the Deputy President that I felt I should brief him
about all that is going on and the role that some members of the ANC,
including very senior leaders in this Province, are playing in
creating the rifts and ructions in the IFP.

The other reason why I had to brief the Deputy President of the ANC is
because he had on more than one occasion expressed his commitment to
dealing with the unfinished business between the ANC and the IFP after
our internecine conflict in the eighties and nineties which cost more
than 20,000 black lives. The Deputy President was not aware that the
blood-letting within the IFP has cost us some lives. The Deputy
President promised that they were going to deal with the matter.

It is now clear where the "Friends of VZ" get the funding which they
have used in creating the problems we now have within the IFP. One
asks what these members of the ANC who are involved in destroying the
Party and our legacy are hoping to receive in return for the moral
support and the financial support that they are giving to the "Friends
of VZ".

The prospect of the bloodshed that has started is extremely worrying
in view of so many lives that we lost during the low intensity civil
war that took place between members of the UDF and ANC on the one
hand, and members of the IFP. It is because of this turn of events
that we have decided to call this Extended National Council meeting as
we believe the matter has gone much further than can be dealt with by
the National Council or the NEC.

One may ask the question why we do not wait until the Conference is
convened. The scale of the damage that is taking place, including loss
of lives, has forced us to call this meeting in which representatives
of the Party's structures are present. At the same time, our very
legitimacy as these structures of the Party is being questioned before
Court and there is no prospect of the case being heard before October
at the earliest. We could not wait for that, and that is why we have
decided to seek our collective wisdom and our collective
responsibility at our level of leadership and at the level of the
leadership of our Party.

There is a remark I have always made, that in the long history of
conflicts between us and the ANC, some of the ANC leaders and some of
the members of the ANC in this Province have always been vicious. This
explains why most of the deaths during that black-on-black low
intensity civil war took place in this Province. It is difficult to
explain the intense hatred that they harbour, which fuels this bitter
conflict. It is a mystery to me what joy they hope to derive from all
of these things, except the pleasure of destroying the IFP and
destroying the leadership of Mangosuthu Buthelezi, their sworn enemy.

It is a shame that, after we lost so many leaders and members in the
previous conflict, members of the IFP should allow themselves to be
puppets that are being used to destroy the Party and our legacy. I
wish to conclude this particular issue by paying special tribute to
those leaders of the ANC, together with some of the ordinary members
of the ANC, who have nothing to do with these underhanded and divisive
activities by other leaders and members of the ANC.

Members are free to interrogate the issues I have brought to the
attention of this meeting. But it seems to me that the nub of the
problem is whether we as a Party should accept leadership which is
being imposed on us by those leaders and members of the ANC who are
involved in financing and arming the "Friends of VZ", who are merely
their front. For decades some of the members and leaders of the ANC in
this Province have attempted to destroy the leadership and membership
of this Party through arms in the black-on-black low intensity civil
war. Now they are trying to do so by imposing the leadership they are
manipulating with money and arms.

We are the survivors and the children of survivors of the low
intensity civil war that raged between the ANC and the IFP during
apartheid. The loss of lives is still a scar on our memories. We
cannot allow a conflict to escalate that would place in jeopardy the
peace that we so painstakingly forged in KwaZulu Natal. It has been a
difficult decision for me to broach this subject, knowing that by
bringing it out into the open the IFP will attract criticism and
anger. But there is no benefit to be gained from the pretense that the
troubles we face are all from within. If we are serious about
resolving the situation, we must be honest about what it entails.

I ask this Extended National Council to deliberate on these matters
and to engage in serene debate. We are all frustrated and emotions are
running high. But we must not be ruled by our emotions. The resolution
of these problems demands clear-headedness. It demands that we talk
about possible solutions, rather than dwelling on who said what to
whom. The survival of the IFP depends on our finding a way forward
that not only unites our Party, but protects the stability of our
nation.

This is the challenge before us.