Date: 09/05/2011
Source: The Inkatha Freedom Party
Title: IFP: Buthelezi: Address by the president of the IFP, to the people of Atlantis, Western Cape

Thank you for coming out this evening to meet with the IFP. It is such
a pleasure for me to be in this community as we approach the Local
Government Elections next week. I have been campaigning for several
weeks now, going all over KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng,
urging people to vote in these elections. But coming to the Western
Cape is something special for me, not only because the political
dynamic here is different, but because it is here that I spend much of
my time as a Member of Parliament.

The IFP has 18 representatives in Parliament, and some 900 Councilors
in municipalities across South Africa. We have been engaged in South
Africa's politics for more than three decades, and we have influenced
the face of our country both before and after 1994. We are not a new
kid on the block. But still, some people might not be familiar with
the IFP, what it stands for and what it believes in. I hope that
through our interaction tonight, we can start a dialogue that will
change the way things are done in Atlantis when it comes to service
delivery, local governance and politics.

I would like to invite you to listen and ask questions, and to really
ponder within your own mind whether the IFP is the new voice Atlantis
needs. We all know that in the Western Cape it's a dog fight between
the DA and the ANC. These two heavyweights are fighting it out in the
political arena, because both want control over the Western Cape. For
the ANC, it's a matter of pride, because they hate not being dominant
in every corner of our country. For the DA, it's a matter of
brinkmanship and keeping the ANC's hands off of Cape Town.

But in the midst of this heated fight, I worry that the people have
been forgotten. I find it appalling that the open toilet saga could go
on for two years, with the DA installing toilets and the Youth League
ripping them up and this accusation and that accusation flying all
over the place, when really people just needed a place to do their
business hygienically and with a dignified amount of privacy. Two
years of fighting over a toilet. That is the level politics has
descended to.

So I believe that Atlantis, and many communities in the Western Cape,
are hoping that there is an alternative to just having to choose
between the incompetence of the ANC or the arrogance of the DA. I am
here to tell you, there is hope. There is an alternative. I will not
pretend that the IFP can take the Western Cape from the DA, but I can
tell you that by voting for the IFP in Atlantis you will be
strengthening a voice of integrity on your local council that can
influence the way things are done. Ms Nazlie Daniels is standing in
Atlantis because she knows the needs of this community and she knows
the power of the IFP. She knows we can get things done.

The IFP has a formidable legacy in South Africa. In KwaZulu Natal, we
still run more municipalities than the ANC, and we do it better than
the ANC does. At local government level, where services are actually
delivered, people in KwaZulu Natal still want an IFP leadership.
Because they remember what we have achieved over the past three
decades, and they trust the IFP's impeccable track record. There is a
tremendous amount of good we did in the past, even before 1994, and
there is a tremendous amount of good we are doing now in the
municipalities in which our voice has been strengthened.

When I come to Atlantis, my mind is taken back to the foolish policies
of the ANC even before we achieved liberation, that have had a
terrible impact on this community. In October 1976, Mr Oliver Tambo,
as the Acting President of the ANC, stood before the United Nations
General Assembly and called for international sanctions against
apartheid South Africa and foreign disinvestment. It was a call I
totally rejected, because I knew that the harshest effects of
sanctions would be suffered by the poor and oppressed, not by the
wealthy elite.

In response to the call for sanctions, the apartheid government
rallied to ensure it could become economically self-sufficient, and
one of the ways it did this was to create Atlantis around the Atlantis
Diesel Engine factory. The factory was heavily subsidized by
government, which enabled it to operate successfully even 20
kilometers outside of Cape Town, and to offer thousands of jobs to the
community.

But soon after our political liberation, the new government under the
ANC abandoned ADE and withdrew government contracts. The ANC
effectively abandoned Atlantis. Even though their own policies had
forced the creation of ADE, the ANC would not take responsibility for
it once they came into power. I believe they absconded from their
responsibility of protecting jobs, and protecting you ? your income,
your stability and the prosperity of Atlantis. Almost a decade ago,
ADE folded, and there are still many unemployed people struggling
along in this community.

This has created all kinds of social problems, as unemployment always
does. Those of you who have work are spending too much of your income
on travel expenses. In many homes, the traditional family structure
has been turned around because of unemployment, with the wives
bringing in most or all of the money. I know that there are feelings
of inadequacy and frustration that cannot be addressed with staid
political slogans like ?Working together we can do more?. If we are
going to get our able-bodied youngsters into decent jobs, our children
off the streets of Blaawberg, our families into decent houses with
toilets and running water; it is going to take more than a slogan,
more than a campaign and more than a dog fight over who gets to govern
Cape Town.

Atlantis needs a new voice that can speak up on its behalf and say
what all of us are thinking. There are basic needs in this community
that should have been met decades ago. And it is no good having
councilors who say there is not enough money, or there is too much red
tape, to get things done in Atlantis. The IFP knows how to do a lot
with a little. In the small town of Mzingazi in Uthungula District,
where we receive practically no income from rates and taxes, our
municipality partnered with a community project and got the learners
of Sithole Nanhlanhla School access to a library. We did it because we
understand how important education is and we are willing to work hard
to live up to the values we espouse.

Ms Daniels has come up with some excellent ideas, that reflect the
ideas of this community, and reflect the practical, hands on, know-how
of the IFP. She has suggested container clinics to serve those in
rural areas, because the geographic location of Atlantis makes it
difficult for people to access health services. Once again, you are
paying too much to get to a clinic, and there just is no money to
spend on transport and doctors' fees, when it is already hard to put
food on the table.

The IFP knows. We care. We have been working alongside the poorest of
the poor in KwaZulu Natal and throughout South Africa since 1975. We
have helped people to help themselves, by empowering them with skills
and developing their community. We have partnered with people from all
walks of life to do what it takes to make a difference.

All our candidates in the coming local government elections, including
Ms Daniels, have taken a pledge of integrity and responsiveness to the
community. I intend to hold them accountable for fulfilling that
pledge. The IFP does not tolerate slackers and freeloaders, because
councilors who serve on an IFP ticket are expected to work.

In terms of their pledge, you can expect your IFP councilor to be a
person of integrity, to be open with you, to be fair and include you
in decision-making, to be accountable to you and available at all
times. Our councilors take your concerns seriously. We will treat you
with dignity and respect, because we are working for you and with you.

We believe in bringing municipal governance closer to you. We will
empower you to participate in decisions that are made, by closely
linking your councilors to you in their daily work. We will never
dictate to you. We live and work alongside you, tackling the real
problems together.

The IFP believes you have the right to receive any information you
require about your municipality and your council. IFP led
municipalities promote openness in all they do. We believe that
tenders should be public so that you know precisely who gets how much
for what service. The IFP believes that every Rand must be spent in a
way that improves your community and your municipality. We are intent
on stopping waste, mismanagement and corruption, while prioritising
spending on infrastructure and basic services, like water and
electricity.

These are the priorities of the IFP. I hope that you will support Ms
Nazlie Daniels as she works for you. She is standing as your candidate
in Atlantis because she cares for this community and she knows that
things can be much better. By voting for Nazlie, you strengthen a new
voice in your local council. You strengthen a voice that is backed by
decades of experience in local government and a track record that puts
other parties to shame. Because the IFP is all about getting the job
done. We are in it for you.

I thank you for receiving me and the IFP into Atlantis tonight. It is
good to be with people who care about their future. Next Wednesday,
when you go and vote, I hope that you will empower a new voice in your
local council to make a big change for Atlantis. I hope that you will
vote for the IFP.