18 September 2007

The IFP has reacted with dismay to the comments by KwaZulu Natal Premier and provincial ANC chairperson S’bu Ndebele about the ruling party’s “unstoppable” hegemony in the province. 

Dr Lionel Mtshali MPP who leads the Official Opposition in the KwaZulu Natal provincial Parliament said in response: 

“Mr Ndebele’s outburst about the majority of KwaZulu Natal’s economic centres being firmly under ANC control, following the latest floor-crossing, only matches in intensity his Stalinesque threat that there can be no turning back to an IFP government in the province. 

“It is precisely this sort of talk that undermines the new South Africa’s democratic credentials and rings alarm bells among our potential foreign investors. 

“Mr Ndebele’s diction reveals that the ANC has not progressed much beyond the organisation devoted to the vision of a one-party dictatorship it once was. Our experience shows and Mr Ndebele’s comments confirm that the ruling party cannot be taught democracy. 

“Only a political party fuelled by crude self-interest and committed to pursuit of power for its own sake could revel in gaining extra representation through a process as immoral and unfair as floor-crossing.” 

The IFP points out that the floor-crossing balance sheet had not even been confirmed by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) at the time Mr Ndebele made his remarks. 

The IFP also notes that the latest floor-crossing has left the ANC grossly over-represented in the KwaZulu Natal Legislature. 

“The ruling party won 46 percent of the popular vote in 2004 and now it commands an absolute majority of parliamentary seats. How could it be otherwise with all the resources of the state as well as the skewed floor-crossing legislation at its disposal?” – said Dr Mtshali. 

Contact: Dr Lionel Mtshali, 083 256 4902