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As so often before, the ANC has crashed an IFP campaign event in Ward 4 (Sweetwaters) in the Msunduzi Municipality where a by-election is to be held on 26 May.

"The IFP had secured the venue belonging to the Nadi Traditional Authority well in advance only to find an unauthorised ANC election campaign event taking place there at the same time," said IFP national safety and security spokesperson Velaphi Ndlovu MP.

The IFP campaigners witnessed the ANC delegation led by the Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Peggy Nkonyeni invading its own campaign event in the contested municipal ward.

"The ANC stuck to a well-tested scenario of transporting people from neighbouring wards for a ‘show of strength' in an IFP area," said Ndlovu.

The IFP condemns this kind of intimidation of the local community in the strongest terms and questions the neutrality of the SAPS in the by-election campaign.

"Behaviour of SAPS whose well-armed officers were present in their numbers is highly questionable as the police only appeared to be concerned about the safety of the ANC delegation and not the IFP event which was held at the venue with the permission of the local authorities," said Ndlovu.