The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday said while it was confident that the government of provincial unity (GPU) would not collapse, it took aim at its coalition partners the DA and the IFP, saying the relationship would always warrant evaluation.
The ANC, IFP, DA and the National Freedom Party (NFP) formed the GPU after the May 29 national and general elections when the Jacob Zuma-led MK Party obtained the majority vote in the province.
The ANC’s provincial chairperson Siboniso Duma said while the parties had a good relationship at a provincial level, there were concerns as the DA had refused to support the removal of the embattled KwaDukuza Local Municipality mayor Lindile Nhaca.
Duma also said that the party had taken exception to comments made by senior IFP leader and MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, saying that he had adopted an “abrasive approach” to politics in the province.
Duma said the DA’s opposition to the ANC in the KwaDukuza Local Municipality was unwarranted and opportunistic.
“Whilst we understand that we are co-operating with the DA at a provincial level, we do believe that opposing a vote of no confidence in the mayor was not in the interest of the people of KwaDukuza…it was self-serving.
“Where necessary, we will characterise the DA and all those forces that do not share a common programme with the ANC; the DA will always be a centre-right party that has the capacity to hamper the progress towards the fulfilment of the Freedom Charter,” Duma said.
Prior to the May 29 elections, the ANC in the province and Buthelezi had been engaged in a bitter tit-for-tat exchange that culminated in the infamous microphone grabbing incident - where Duma had grabbed the microphone from Buthelezi - that took place in front of King Misizulu kaZwelithini and President Cyril Ramaphosa at the 110th anniversary of King Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo’s death.
Last week Buthelezi said the ANC aligned-Contralesa (Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa) is advocating for the independence of Izinduna from Amakhosi and that some (Izinduna) had usurped the authority of the senior traditional leaders.
Duma yesterday said that the party is in possession of requests for intervention from Izinduna who claimed that Buthelezi is targeting them for removal on a day to day basis.
“Whilst we appreciate the spirit of working together as displayed by other leaders of the IFP in the executive and in the legislature, we believe that Buthelezi believes that he is above the GPU and his political party, the IFP.
“He is very divisive in nature and his mission is to take us backward. This is the matter we shall take up with the IFP leadership.”
Provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said Buthelezi “makes mistakes every day” and had done something unprecedented by “putting his face on government water tankers, and I can assure you that the IFP is not happy about that”.
Buthelezi yesterday said he was aware of ANC attempts to undermine his work both as MEC for Cogta and as Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Nation and to tarnish his image and besmirch his reputation in the social and print media.
“The ANC in KZN has identified me as the weakest link in the GPU. These attempts to isolate me from the IFP collective represent the highest form of political imbecility and tactical opportunism on the part of the KZN ANC.
“What is clear is that the ANC needs to come to terms with their dramatic loss of power this year, after presiding over the collapse of governance and service delivery in KZN for the past 20 years,” Buthelezi said.
He said the ANC needed to accept the reality that it is no longer in charge of government in KZN.
“I will not be bullied by the KZN ANC, nor will I mollycoddle the corruption and malfeasance that was the order of the day in the Cogta department in the sixth administration.”
DA chairperson Dean Macpherson yesterday said despite their best attempts, there was no coalition agreement between political parties in local government.
“The actions of the ANC in Gauteng when they removed Cilliers Brink has only compounded this deadlock on a working relationship in local government in KZN.
“The DA cannot be expected, nor will we agree to, to fix another political party’s internal problems in local government. We will also not be participants in implementing other parties' ideology which has led to a 42% rate in unemployment.”
Macpherson said that an urgent meeting of parties in the GPU is required, saying this is something they have called for since August.
“We simply cannot delay this any longer to ensure the province remains stable and service delivery focused.”