Date: 15/03/2009

Source: Inkatha Freedom Party

Title: IFP: Buthelezi: Address by the Inkatha Freedom Party leader at Madadeni

I am grateful for the opportunity to address this gathering at Madadeni
today. We are mere 37 days away from an all important election whose
outcome will determine the future character of South Africa ˆ either as
a vibrant multi-party democracy or a stagnant one-party state. The
upcoming election will also give us all an opportunity to pass a
judgement on the incumbent provincial administration in KwaZulu Natal.
The ANC government's propaganda is rarely matched by service delivery on
the ground but the balance sheet in this region is especially
disconcerting.

The collapse of Newcastle's coal mining industry and the difficult times
of Iscor Works were never countered with an honest assessment by the
post-apartheid Department of Minerals and Energy, which has gone out of
its way to nurture false hopes of revival, instead of focusing on
diversification of the local economy towards tourism and services.
Another glaring example of the government's failure to deliver on its
promises is the story of Uthukela Water. The IFP has been deeply
concerned about the reported inefficiencies, irregularities and
financial mismanagement within this utility company which was
established to consolidate and facilitate the efficient and
cost-effective delivery of water to consumers within their jurisdiction.

Similarly, the idea behind the multiple-tier government which we have in
this country is close co-operation between its constituent parts. Sadly,
this has not always been the case since 2004, when the ANC-led
provincial government embarked on a mission to undermine the service
delivery capacity of a number of IFP-controlled local municipalities,
including some under the umbrella of Amajuba District. The constant
meddling of the provincial government has hampered rather than aided
service delivery. I urge those of you who have been affected by the
failures of the ANC government to create jobs and deliver basic services
to think twice about your options in the upcoming election.

Wherever I visit these days, the local people tell me in no uncertain
terms what they want. The message is always the same. The people need
water. The people need electricity. The people want service providers
who treat them with the respect that clients of government services
deserve. The people need accessible healthcare. The people need
affordable and safe public transport. The people want law and order. The
people want safe streets. The people want effective community policing.
The people need jobs. The people want decent education for their
children. The people want a future for their families. But more than
anything, the people want a government that is serious about all these
things.

Without mincing words, let me tell you what is wrong with South Africa
fifteen years since the advent of democracy. The policies promoted by
the ANC following every one of its election victories since 1994 have
been described by the ruling party's spin doctors as "pro-poor". They
have in fact been broadly pro-poverty. Because these policies are
underpinned by the ANC's vision of a closed, crony society, the
suppression of individual initiative and the lack of opportunity for all
have effectively curtailed economic growth, bred corruption and widened
the poverty net.

Instead of creating opportunity, which is the most effective weapon in
the fight against poverty, the ANC has concentrated more power in the
hands of a so-called "developmental state", controlled by loyal ANC
cadres. As a result, our state institutions now serve the interests of
the ruling party or its particular faction rather than all the people.
The inevitable by-product of centralisation and cronyism is rampant
corruption. The money we collect in taxes and allocate for development
thus often ends up in the pockets of government officials and ruling
party apparatchiks.

Consequently, many state institutions which these people control have
become dysfunctional to the point of paralysis. We have seen time and
time again how our state institutions serve different ANC factions and
rather than deliver services to the poor are frequently used to wage
internal political battles. A highly efficient, highly skilled and
well-trained civil service at all levels of government is now a distant
dream of the opposition parties, like the IFP.

A word about the ruling party's election manifesto that has recently
been launched amid so much fanfare: This document, much like the
previous ANC's manifestos, includes several big-ticket service delivery
items across the board that are welcome and some even overdue. However,
it is the job of the opposition parties to place these pledges into
perspective and to review the government´s track record and reassess its
priorities.

It is equally important to point out which of the pledges are simply
responses to previous neglect and which measures, as noble as they might
appear, could widen the budget deficit or trigger tax hikes at a time of
global economic meltdown. Of all the pledges listed in the ruling
party´s manifesto those related to healthcare are perhaps the most
belated. Following many years of institutional neglect, boosting the
fight against HIV/Aids, renovating more hospitals, hiring of more nurses
on better pay scales, reopening of training colleges and launching a
publicly funded national health insurance system are all desperately
overdue.

The ruling party´s commitment to allocating more money for land reform
and more support for emerging farmers on the one hand, and to hiring of
more police on higher pay scales and provision of better equipment to
security personnel on the other, is an expression of failure in these
areas during the past decade. It is doubtful whether more money can
solve what seem to be failures of policy as well as implementation.

Some intended manifesto pledges such as reopening of teacher training
colleges amount to a complete policy U-turn. Let us hope the ruling
party will demonstrate enough honesty in acknowledging its own errors of
judgement. Other measures such as the provision of water, toilets and
power for all schools are responses to the mounting infrastructure
backlog whose eventual solution lies less with the available resources
and more with an overhaul of the cost of service delivery.

In response to all these challenges, we in the IFP, on the contrary,
have led by example. We have taken exemplary action against corrupt
representatives in our own ranks. We do not tolerate corruption. We
loathe it. We act resolutely whenever and wherever we detect it.
Wherever we are in power at local level, we run a tight ship. IFP-run
municipalities are examples of frugal administration. As a rule, we do
not spend money we do not have. We prioritise the needs of the poorest
of the poor among our residents. As someone who has placed personal
integrity at the top of my political agenda for decades, I say it is
time to restore a sense of personal integrity to our politics at large.
It is time to halt the creeping malaise that is spreading its tentacles
through our public life.

One glaring example of the IFP's commitment to real service delivery as
opposed to the ANC's preoccupation with self-promotion and
self-enrichment is the story of Ithala. Within the erstwhile KwaZulu
Government, Inkatha promoted real development and solid service delivery
in spite of being the most underfunded government in South Africa.
Because of my unwavering opposition to apartheid, the Zulu people
received the lowest per-capita share of state resources than anyone else
in South Africa and this imbalance was only corrected by 2004, ten years
after liberation. In spite of having little money, we made the money we
had go a long way.

Much of the development in KwaZulu goes back to the KwaZulu Finance
Corporation, which I established and which has now been renamed Ithala
Development Corporation. Decades later, the industries which the KFC
helped set up are still viable and contribute to employment and
productivity across KwaZulu Natal. This is because the KwaZulu
Government allocated development finance to those who genuinely cared
about development. The KFC likewise enabled the poorest of the poor to
access funding which commercial banks in South Africa would not provide.
Today, by contrast, Ithala's assets are being pillaged by MECs, their
relatives and senior civil servants affiliated to the ANC.

The IFP is the only opposition party with a predominantly black support,
with a proven track-record in government and, most importantly, with the
long-term potential of governing the country. We represent the political
centre ground, rejecting both centralised socialism of the ANC and
uncaring 'anything goes' liberalism that is creating such havoc in the
stock markets around the world. These extremes are out of tune with the
majority of South Africans who are aspirational and socially
conservative. We are the real alternative. We aspire to lead South
Africa into a second wave of democratic renewal, deepening democracy and
spreading prosperity among our people. Having attained liberal freedoms
in 1994, South Africans are yet to be liberated economically.

In our service to the people, the IFP will stand by those affected by
poverty, unemployment, abuse, crime, violence and other social ills and
discrimination. South Africa has an enormous number of people who, left
to the tools of the market or a minimalist state, would suffer even more
severe deprivations than those which fate has bestowed upon them. The
IFP will not stand aloof as our people suffer, but will work with them,
as an expression of compassion and fraternity in providing assistance.

We seek a South Africa in which the potential of every person to a
dignified life can be realised within a democratic environment.
Internally, we believe everyone has the right to participate in party
affairs and to advance themselves so long as their activities are
premised on integrity. Everyone within the party has the right to speak
and to be heard, to be treated with dignity, and to stand for any
office. We embrace internal democracy, transparency and accountability.
On the national stage, we stand for a constitutional state in which
individual rights are protected against intrusive government, in which
the poor and vulnerable are assisted, and in which the autonomy of civil
society is not infringed upon.

At the same time, we embrace our differences and reject the notion that
we are all the same. We are equal under the law, of course, but South
Africa is nonetheless made up of many different cultures, groups, races,
religions, communities and peoples. None of these is more important than
any other, though we do embrace Christian and other faith-based values.
The IFP welcomes all into our fold. We are inclusive, we promote
multiculturalism and we encourage the sharing of power among our
constituents. The IFP is a home for all South Africans subscribing to
our values and policies. Everyone is welcome to join with us in our
great quest to make South Africa a better country.

Our idea of a better South Africa is a just, prosperous and moral
society whose citizens have reconciled their past differences and engage
with each other on the basis of ubuntu. A just society is one which is
fair, which has successfully addressed the challenges of our past and,
unfortunately, even the present ˆ limited access to basic services, to
sustainable jobs, to quality education, to adequate healthcare, and to
security.

It also results in freedom and equality for all before the law,
irrespective of who you are and where you come from. A prosperous
society is one in which mass poverty has been eradicated and in which
our people are able to pursue a better life. It is a society where
everyone is able to develop to his or her fullest human potential. A
prosperous society provides opportunity for all. It also generates high
quality services and contributes towards stability and unity.

A moral society is one governed by timeless moral precepts of good,
unlike the socio-political climate in South Africa today which comes
close to being characterised by fear, violence, crime, greed and
corruption. We believe in a society based on strong family and strong
community. There is a contrast between some amoral leaders and elites
and the essential goodness of most South Africans ˆ we believe everyone
has a role to play in making South Africa a better place.

A society underpinned by the spirit of ubuntu must necessarily promote
justice and prosperity and morality for all. We believe such a society
is a distinct possibility, and is not merely a dream. We believe our
values of solidarity, freedom and unity, and our principles and policies
coupled with bold leadership and political courage, can achieve this
vision. None of this will, however, matter unless we win political power
and with it a mandate to put our ideas into practice. In order to do
that, we will need your support. We need it now to spread our message in
your families, in your workplaces and in your communities. And we will
need your support on April 22.

I thank you.