19 April 2009

IFP President Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi today addressed the closing rally of the IFP's 2009 election campaign at Enseleni in KwaZulu Natal. The IFP leader urged voters to give change a chance to flourish in South Africa by voting for the IFP and warned that South Africa may not have many more chances to save its multi-party democracy.

Addressing thousands of enthusiastic supporters, the IFP President called on every South African to ensure they vote next week and said: "Your vote could be the difference between defeat and victory; between providing the chance for hope and change to flourish in South Africa with the IFP, or watching our country stagnate, and service delivery decline further under the ANC."

Drawing on the example of Zimbabwe, the IFP President said:

"We have seen that it does not take much to destroy even as wonderful a jewel as Zimbabwe was in 1980, and subsequent years.  South Africa needs to wake up and prevent us becoming a one-party state where our country becomes virtually an elective dictatorship."

The IFP president said that anyone who doubted if it would make a difference who won the election should just look at two examples: The Aids crisis where the IFP had had to take the ANC government to court in order to ensure pregnant mothers were able to get Nevaripine, and the education system where the matriculation pass rate had collapsed in KwaZulu Natal from 74% when the IFP ran the province to less than 58% under the ANC. Urging voters not to underestimate the difference their vote could make he said:

"Change is not just a slogan in this country. It is an urgent need."

"The ANC has had its chance to change South Africa for the better and after fifteen years it has no more excuses for its failure. Every one of us has a simple choice next Wednesday, whether we want another five years of ANC government with more corruption, more criminality and more people without jobs or homes or hope. Or whether we want to bring hope and change to South Africa with a new IFP government."

Prince Buthelezi set out the IFP's proposals for tackling poverty which continues to afflicts so many in the country:

"I will never abandon the rural and urban poor as the ANC has. That is why the IFP is determined to take the necessary action to raise people out of poverty through increases in social grants and by ensuring access to education for every citizen.  We have immediate term solutions to meet the current emergencies and long term proposals

"To this end an IFP government proposes free education up to and including Grade 12 to ensure all our children can get a decent education; we have recommended a basic income grant and increase the social pension to at least R1,500 per month; in the present economic crisis we have proposed the child support grant to R880 per month. These are the real changes we think can bring the task of tackling poverty and providing education for all. "

The IFP President said that the country knew what to expect if the ANC won again:

"I sometimes wonder why the expert political analysts spend so much time speculating over what the ANC will do after the elections. To me it is really quite simple – they will do what they did before the elections.

"They will fight among themselves and against anyone who dares to oppose them; they will enrich themselves and their friends; and they will impoverish the country and every one of us who lives in it."

Closing the rally Prince Buthelezi urged all supporters to go out and vote:

"Every vote counts. I urge you to get to the polling stations early on Wednesday and cast your vote for the IFP.  Then go and wake your neighbours and get them to the polling stations to vote IFP. SMS your friends and ask if they have voted for the IFP yet.  Speak to your colleagues, speak to your family, speak to everyone you meet on the street and tell them to go and vote IFP, because every vote for the IFP is a vote for victory."

Contact:
Liezl van der Merwe:         083 611 7470.