31 October 2007

The IFP condemns the determination of the ruling party to go ahead with implementation of the demarcation legislation in the face of the wishes of the majority in Matatiele as shown by a series of public hearings held in KwaZulu Natal on the subject recently. 

“The message of the public hearings is clear: the majority of the people of Matatiele want to stay in KwaZulu Natal and reject the demarcation legislation which is consigning them to the Eastern Cape,” said IFP spokesperson on local government in the KwaZulu Natal Provincial Parliament Inkosi Bonga Mdletshe. 

The IFP notes with concern that the ANC-led parliamentary portfolio committee on local government, of which Inkosi Mdletshe is a member, arrived in Matatiele with a pre-determined position. “The ANC supports the demarcation legislation and it would not let the will of the Matatiele people stand in the way of its determination to incorporate the region into the Eastern Cape,” said Inkosi Mdletshe. 

The IFP is also aware that the ANC made an attempt to sway the outcome of the public hearings by bussing in participants from as far as the Eastern Cape.

“The people of Matatiele, however, would not be silenced as the final vote in favour of Matatiele remaining part of KwaZulu Natal has demonstrated,” said Inkosi Mdletshe. 

The IFP now questions the rationale behind holding public hearings on matters that seem to have been settled in advance in the corridors of power by the ANC. “What is the point of going into the trouble and expense of public hearings when the ruling party has already made up its mind and when it will disregard the outcome anyway?" – said Inkosi Mdletshe. 

Contact: Inkosi Bonga Mdletshe, 082 809 4550