THE INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
DURBAN : JULY 8, 1999
The IFP's Annual General Conference The next important item in the IFP’s calendar of activities is its Annual General Conference. The Conference is the highest policy making organ of the IFP in which delegates from all its branches participate on an annual basis.
More than 6000 delegates, drawn from more than 3000 of the IFP’s branches spread country-wide are expected to flock to Ulundi, to participate in this year’s Annual General Conference, which will be held on the weekend of the 30th, 31st July and 1st August 1999, at the Emandleni-Matleng Camp, in Ulundi.
A meeting of the National Council on Friday afternoon, 30th July 1999, will precede the Conference. The Conference will be officially opened at 09:00hrs on Saturday, 31st August 1999.
The President of the IFP, Dr. Mangosuthu Buthelezi, MP, will deliver his keynote address on Saturday, at about 10:00hrs, in which he is expected to give a comprehensive overview of the issues that have confronted the Party since last year’s Conference. His assessment of where the country is headed, the state of the national economy, the IFP's expectations of government performance at National and Provincial levels, and the IFP/ANC relationship at National and Provincial levels, are expected to feature prominently in his address.
The Conference will also receive an extensive and detailed report on the recent national elections. Delegates will be expected to evaluate the Party's performance, particularly in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. Policy directives with regards to how the Party will approach Local Government elections in the year 2000 are expected to emerge from the deliberations of the delegates to the Conference.
This will be an ordinary, scheduled Conference of the IFP and is expected to transact normal Party Conference business. No elections of Party leadership will feature at this Conference as has been mistakenly speculated about and there will be no discussion on the future leadership of the IFP since there is no leadership crisis in the ranks of the IFP. All talk about grooming of future leaders is equally misleading. No leaders are expected to retire, certainly not the President of the Party. The Inkatha Freedom Party is exceedingly satisfied with the leadership record of its President, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, and it thus expects him to lead it through to the national elections in 2004 and beyond.
Enquiries: Rev. K.M. Zondi on 083 440 5966