Since the dissolution of the Abaqulusi Council, the focus of the media and the public at large has been on the disruption of the municipal life by IFP supporters.

This was magnified last week during the visit of the multi-party delegation from this Parliament to Dlomodlomo in the troubled municipality.

Without attempting to justify the disruption of the proceedings of that visit, the IFP would like to offer some background.

"An ANC-dominated delegation from Parliament arrived in Dlomodlomo to stage a glamorous event where its members expected to tell the tranquil community how fortunate they were to have an ANC government," said Wiseman Mcoyi IFP MPP who was present during the proceedings. "It clearly did not occur to anyone in the ruling party that the people of Abaqulusi may opt for a word of protest. What did the delegation expect?"

Mcoyi also said:

"It was somewhat disingenuous of the Premier to refer in public to unruly IFP supporters as "hooligans" in the light of the treatment he and the MEC for Finance and Economic Development received at the hands of their own supporters in connection with the Jacob Zuma controversy.

"The Speaker of this Parliament was quoted in the media explaining the reason for this visit by way of a vague invitation from the local community. This very invitation was issued by two local individuals and members of the ANC, MJ Ndwandwe and V Ntshangase.

"The latter gentleman happens to be an ANC candidate for councilor in the upcoming local government elections. These two gentlemen dispatched their invitation from a fax machine at the local ANC office.

"At the same time, Parliament neglected to invite some of the crucial stakeholders to the ongoing crisis at Abaqulusi, namely Mayor of the Zululand District Municipality, Zanele Magwaza, or the local traditional leader, Induna Ntshangase."