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The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) National Executive Council (NEC) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the conduct of the ANC in Umkhanyakude District Municipality.

For many months now, the ANC has been intentionally obstructing the democratic will of the people from taking its course and preventing the IFP from taking its rightful place at the helm of this troubled Municipality.

Despite the IFP emerging victorious in the 2021 Local Government Elections, the ANC manipulated a technicality to constitute the Municipal Council in their favour and take control of the Municipality. This, despite the IFP holding a clear majority, with 18 Councillors to the 12 of the ANC, and three of the EFF. The ANC has since also resorted to litigation in an attempt to maintain their stranglehold on the Council.

In addition, the so-called ‘Speaker’ consistently cancels or collapses Council Meetings, allowing no opportunity for the election of legitimate IFP office-bearers.

This behaviour is indicative of a fast-weakening ANC that is hell-bent on maintaining their grasp on power – regardless of the illegitimacy of their actions. It reveals a complete lack of respect for the rule of law and the democratic principles upon which our new South Africa was founded. The ANC is defining for all of South Africa how it will behave when it loses power in 2024.

This type of lawlessness cannot be tolerated or permitted.

The IFP NEC will be tackling this issue on all fronts: at national level, the NEC has tasked the IFP’s Caucus in the National Parliament to write to the Minister of COGTA, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and request that she meet with a Caucus delegation as a matter of urgency. On a provincial level, the IFP Caucus in the KZN Legislature will be engaging directly with the Premier on the UMkhanyakude governance issue.

In essence, this is a service delivery problem: the people of this constituency are struggling, particularly when it comes to water provision. Further, it is a blatant and illegitimate power grab on the part of the ANC. This cannot be allowed to continue.

We are also aware that the ANC is deliberately engineering this obstruction of democracy, with the intention to dissolve the District through section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution.

Quite clearly the ANC is committed to holding onto power at all costs, even in the face of a legitimate democratic rejection by the People.

The IFP will pursue every avenue to ensure that the democratic will of the People is upheld.

We call on the People of UMkhanyakude to partner with us as we try to put an end to this childish behaviour of the ANC.
 

Issued by IFP