The Annual General Conference of the Inkatha Freedom Party met in Ulundi on July 31 - August 1, 1999 and, after deliberation, unanimously adopted the following Resolutions:

1. Patriotism

• The June 2, 1999 elections have sprung a new sense of patriotism centered around the recognition of the need to build a new country for the benefit of all.
  
• The sense of patriotism carries the distinguishing trade mark of the IFP and is the product of our revolution of goodwill which is gaining ground in the hearts and minds of all those who are willing to commit their efforts to the betterment of their families, communities and work-places.
  
• In our country, our patriotism is an individual and collective dedication to build a better future with our daily efforts, discipline and productivity, combined with the national recognition of the need for reconciliation, peace and an end to the artificial divisions of the past.
  
• The IFP calls for the new idealism of patriotism to be translated into real actions for development, upliftment and delivery.
  
• Patriotism should motivate civil servants to improve on government’s delivery, businesses to accept social responsibilities, individuals to work harder and better, and communities to provide opportunities for all to grow, acquire life skills and assist those in need.
  
• Political leaders must give direction to our patriotism and channel it into tangible results both at community level and in the top layers of government.
  
• Our patriotism should also rely on reconciliation and recognise the need to narrow the division caused by violence and conflict, expressing our desire to move away from the past.

• The IFP recognises the full and unqualified value and necessity of reconciliation in respect of the grave conflicts of the past, especially those relating to the black-on-black conflict which has not yet completely subsumed and the wounds of which are still bleeding.
  
• The road to reconciliation must be walked by all communities and the spirit of reconciliation must gradually enter the hearts and minds of all.
  
• The spirit of reconciliation should call for the avoidance of recriminations about the past, but also requires that people remember the horrors of the low intensity civil war of the black-on-black conflict and that its truth is not swept under a carpet of silence and denial.
  
• The process of reconciliation is hindered by the vestiges of the apartheid mind-set which encouraged ignorance and distrust between our people, entrenching the problems of racism which are yet to be addressed.
  
• Reconciliation across racial divides must go hand in hand with social justice and transformation to give substance to the declaration of equality among our people by levelling the playing fields of life and economic activities.

3. Co-operation with the ANC

Praising the IFP leadership and its President for having negotiated coalition governments with the ANC both nationally and in KwaZulu Natal, the Annual General Conference of the IFP has resolved that:

• the IFP must undertake any and all joint efforts with the ANC to rebuild the country and enhance government delivery
  
• within the coalition governments the IFP needs to maintain its distinctiveness in respect of its policies, vision and mission in history
  
• within the coalition governments the IFP must pursue its policies based on devolution of powers, free-market driven macro-economic strategies, multi-culturalism, social discipline and the themes of the revolution of goodwill
  
• in the coalition governments, both the IFP and the ANC must respect the respective leadership roles as determined by the will of the people
  
• in the coalition governments, it must be the ambition of the IFP to prove through its hard work and the quality of its policies that the IFP is the best part of government, the closest to the people and more conducive to the country's social and economic rebirth
  
• there must be mutual recognition of the value of the difference of respective policies and perspectives which the ANC and the IFP bring towards the achievement of shared and common social goals and objectives for our people
  
• IFP party structures must make special efforts to explain further to grassroots constituencies all the aspects and implications of the co-operation between the IFP and the ANC

4. Party organisation

Recognising that no time must be wasted in reorganising and mobilising the Party for the next local government elections and 2004 general elections, the Annual General Conference of the IFP has resolved that:

• mobilisation to provide all members of our constituencies with bar-coded ID books must begin immediately
  
• IFP local government candidates must be selected on the basis of their capacity to represent and lead people
  
• the Party must find and implement ways and means to transform once again IFP branches as the centers of political activities in the territory serving the needs of the people
  
• all elected officials must visit their communities and constituencies regularly and report to the National Co-ordinating Committee

5. The IFP President

The IFP Annual General Conference...

• recognises and praises the important role played by IFP President Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi as the promoter of peace, reconciliation and delivery to the people
  
• applauds the IFP President for having given proof once again of his legendary integrity and statesmanship when he declined to accept the second highest office in the land to defend the right of the IFP to fulfil the popular mandate it received in respect of the governance of KwaZulu Natal
  
• recognises that now more than ever, Minister Buthelezi, as the most senior, experienced and skilled statesman in the country, is a towering historical figure who provides lustre to the entire continent and his vision and philosophy are a pillar of the African Renaissance
  
• urges Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi to provide the Party and the country with his much needed leadership long into the third millennium

6. Social Services Delivery

The Annual General Conference of the IFP recognises that...

• the IFP commits itself to work hand in hand with any organisation fostering the delivery of housing, clean water and sanitation
  
• government delivery on social services is not efficient or sufficient at present and ought to be enhanced
  
• a lack of information, co-ordination and policy direction are the key hindering factors in the delivery of health-care and other social services
  
• government must re-prioritise the fight against AIDS which must now be done within every level of society, using every available resource
  
• government policies which hinder access to housing must be identified and revised
  
• communities must be empowered in the creation of self-help projects which address social needs
  
• people should be given more decision-making power in respect of home building schemes and the management of electricity
  
• communities must be taught how to access and use government services
  
• lack of delivery on welfare creates subsidiary social difficulties which must be addressed through a partnership between government, NGOs, business and communities
  
• there should not be a monopoly of the production and distribution of electricity and communities should be empowered to produce their own electricity
  
• the conditions of women should be uplifted, inter-alia through better access to housing, loan facilities, financing for small businesses and opportunities which make them financially independent from men
  
• social awareness must be raised on issues of abuse and violence, changing perceptions which perpetuate these social perversities
  
• the responsibility of meeting basic human needs in accordance with the spirit and content of the Constitution belongs to everyone, and requires a genuine partnership at all levels of society
  
• the delivery of services must capitalise on traditional structures and services, including traditional healing which should be enhanced through dedicated research
  
• the fight against AIDS should become a widely accepted moral imperative and a government priority to assist the millions who are affected by it, and the millions who are threatened by it
  
• education on the facts relating to AIDS should be intensified through workshop and the counselling of youth, free testing, return to traditional and moral values and sexual faithfulness in addition to the distribution of condoms
  
• drugs for the treatment of AIDS should be made available and affordable especially for pregnant women
  
• funds should be channelled through churches, youth organisations and schools for AIDS-HIV education
  
• communities should be informed that many of the promises made by the ANC in the past five years are not realistic, especially in respect of the delivery of houses
  
• the forms and procedures to access welfare services should be simplified
  
• less public funding should be spent on celebrations and government grandeur to direct it towards serving the needs of the poorest of the poor
  
• the concept of partnership between communities and government should shape the delivery of social services.

• The entire community must participate and be responsible for community development and upliftment, and it should be the priority of government to assist them in this effort

• self-help and self-reliance must be the basis of community upliftment projects

• community participation is essential at every stage of development projects, prioritising the involvement of SMMEs in the tendering process

• assistance and training of entrepreneurs must be made available within communities in recognition of the potential of SMMEs to generate growth and upliftment

• access to financial institutions and financial services must be prioritised in rural areas

• community upliftment should be based on the notion of human growth and development in respect of all aspects and facets of human life and commercial transactions, including access and management of credit facilities and opportunities

• local authorities must formulate and adopt rural development plans in partnership with communities

• communities should be assisted in creating structures such as co-operatives or NGOs capable of accessing public and private financing for projects

• farming co-ops should be strengthened and a "back-to-basics" policy should underpin them, as previously advocated by the Inkatha Institute

• The IFP should develop an institute or academy to concentrate training, thinking and planning around the issues of development and upliftment

• small scale agricultural projects and vegetable gardens should be established throughout the territory

• projects like Xoshindlala should be highlighted to strengthen the fight against poverty and hunger through farming

• communities must liaise with their leaders, especially the newly elected ones

• governments must recognise traditional structures and adopt realistic policies which work rather than idealistic plans which do not work

• traditional leaders should be empowered as engines of progress, development and upliftment with plans catered for each of their communities.

8. Job creation and unemployed

Recognising that almost one-third of our country’s population is unemployed and this figure will keep rising unless measures are taken both at the macro-economic level and in each community, the Annual General Conference of the IFP resolves that:

• unemployment is a growing threat both to the economy and social stability

• the causes of unemployment are identifiable and can be prioritised for resolution both at the macro-economic level and in each community

• we must reintroduce flexibility in the labour market

• the present macro-economic policies must be revised to take on board the many free-market driven IFP suggestions

• the role of trade unions in the formulation of economic policies must be contained

• we need more and greater incentives to attract foreign investments

• we need more programmes for skills training for human resources

• IFP branches should become catalysts of a partnership among business, government and NGOs to create job opportunities and combat the effects of unemployment in communities

• government must provide safety nets for the unemployed

• unemployment has far-reaching effects on communities which must be addressed

• skills training and human resource development is essential to job creation

• there must be a partnership between communities, NGOs, business and government to create job opportunities and combat the effects of unemployment

• self-help projects must be identified for development within communities

• organisations of unemployed must become part of the bargaining processes and be represented in all major negotiations among the social partners

• business growth at community level should be fostered through loans for creative initiatives and micro and small businesses

9. Resolution on crime, injustice and governability

Recognising that crime is a priority issue across South Africa which requires community participation and responsibility and that in this respect social perceptions must change, the Annual General Conference of the IFP has resolved that:

• crime is a priority issue throughout South Africa which must be addressed speedily and with the necessary force

• co-operation between police and communities must be fostered through regular meetings with Regional Councils in rural areas and by establishing security committees in urban areas

• crime-fighting entities at all levels must be empowered and motivated

• crime must be fought where it is committed; which is in communities

• there must be a partnership at all levels of society to fight crime and injustice

• social perceptions which glorify, condone or allow criminality need to be changed

• the mind-set of criminality must not be allowed to enter successive generations

• crime must be prevented through job creation, self-help projects and voluntary activities which utilise unemployed people

• all aspects of the criminal justice system must be improved upon, as the certainty to be caught, arrested, tried and convicted is the most effective deterrent of crime and for as long as people have a reasonable expectation of impunity, crime cannot be defeated

• education and training of communities about the law and heir rights and duties must supplement policing and law enforcement, and to this end special civic education programmes should be conducted in schools

• provincial police services must be established to enable provinces to fight crime

• more policemen and police vehicles in our communities are needed

• the possibility of providing community police force with financial and logistic resources should be investigated

• policemen should be motivated to work in difficult and crime-ridden areas and should be adequately paid

• the number of call boxes and dedicated lines for emergency calls should be increased both in rural and urban areas

• the development of a community culture which reports crimes, and isolates and denounces their perpetrators must be prioritised

• elected representatives should talk to communities more often about crime

• the powers of amaKhosi in respect of crime-fighting, criminal jurisdiction and settlement of disputes should not be tempered with

• the IFP Crime Manifesto produced during the election campaign should be work-shopped and implemented in communities

• IFP branches should organise community events to mobilise people against crime

10 Life skills, youth and adult education and training

Recognising that a successful nation depends on a well-trained work-force, on educated citizens and aware families, the Annual General Conference of the IFP resolved that:

• education, training and literacy must become part of a new South African culture which promotes work ethic, human resource development, productivity and collective responsibility

• a successful nation depends on a well-trained work-force

• a sense of work ethic must be instilled within our society and prioritised in our education system

• a culture of indolence is inhibiting the personal and professional fulfillment of human resources

• a system of values must be entrenched within our society which encourages productivity, accountability and responsibility

• education, skills training, literacy and information programmes must be prioritised

• IFP branches should establish co-operatives at community level to identify, develop and propagate the life skills necessary, so that such co-operatives link with government, NGOs and other sources of information and training to be made available to communities

• primary and secondary education must be made accessible to all children in our country and be outcomes based

• tertiary education must begin to co-ordinate and operate effectively, rendering high standards of education

• communities must participate in the administration of schools and the development of their curricula as a moment of collective growth and education

• skills resource centers should be established in co-operation with government

• education must be relevant to the rapid advance of technological development

• education must encourage job creation rather than job seeking

• learned and educated children should be encouraged to educate less fortunate ones, especially in rural areas

• community based programmes to impart life skills are essential and they should include adult education, civic education, environmental education, health education, and education about law and basic commercial transactions

• the IFP culture of self-help and self-reliance must be spread throughout the country to fight the culture of entitlement, eradicate ignorance and illiteracy and to create a stronger partnership between civil society and government

11. Bottom-up governance

Recognising that consultation and community participation are the best formula for governance and service delivery, the Annual General Conference of the IFP has resolved that:

• the time has come for the IFP's vision of devolution of powers, federalism and bottom up governance

• government should not think for the people, but should empower provinces and local councils to engage in a dialogue to assess the needs and aspirations of communities

• consultation and community participation is the best formula for governance and service delivery

• a bottom-up approach to governance is preferable to the present top-down approach

• local government must become more active and receive more powers

• funding must reach the needy people by being allocated to the lowest possible level of government

• people should be more vigilant in holding their representatives accountable

• the top-down approach to governance has hindered, and continues to hinder, service delivery at all levels of society and is the cause of many social difficulties which ought to have been resolved since 1994

• government must be at the level of the people to understand and fulfil the needs at grassroots level

• provincial and local government must be empowered to formulate and implement policies which will benefit their people

• a thorough assessment and analysis of community needs must be undertaken which initiates relevant and efficient delivery

• the IFP’s ongoing and steadfast commitment to a bottom-up system of governance must be strengthened and prioritised on the national agenda

• the time has come for a full debate on the form of state which realises how necessary it is to give provinces more autonomy and powers of policy formulation

12. Racism, transformation and reconciliation

Believing that transformation and reconciliation in South Africa cannot be fully achieved until the continuing issue of racism is addressed and solved, the Annual General Conference of the IFP has resolved that:

• present attempts to solve racism are inadequate.

• the time has come to talk openly about racism and open dialogue across cultural divides

• racism remains a problem at all levels of our society

• racism and unfair discrimination are hindering the process of transformation and reconciliation

• the social mind-set which perpetuates racism must change

• government policies and legislation aimed at combatting racism are inadequate and have not been successful

• the affirmative action policy of government does not address all the relevant problems and issues and does not account for cultural diversity within the previously oppressed people

• racism must be addressed and eradicated at all levels and in all spheres of social interaction

13. Access to land and land reform

Warning that the present system of land redistribution and restitution is incapable of meeting the needs of the people and is often counter-productive, the Annual General Conference of the IFP has resolved that:

• issues of land reform and access to land are urgent and must be addressed

• the present land distribution is unjust and untenable

• there are problems inherent in the present system of land redistribution and restitution

• issues of land reform and access to land are ongoing and rapidly becoming critical

• issues of land reform and access to land must be urgently addressed by government in consultation with traditional authorities

• land in traditional communities should be seen as already allocated

• land of the state, churches, absentee owners, and fallow and unproductive land should be distributed to satisfy the needs of the people

• issues surrounding the Demarcation Board must be addressed and resolved

• there is a shortage of land in traditional areas

• taking land away from traditional areas and transferring it to municipalities is not viable and this process must be halted

• policies on land reform and access to land do not reflect the needs or aspirations of the people, according to which such policies must be revised.

14. Condolences

The Annual General Conference of the IFP expresses its deepest condolences to the families and communities of one IFP delegate from Lindelani who died in a traffic accident while travelling to reach the Conference and wishes a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.

15. National Chairman and Premier

The Annual General Conference of the IFP expresses its total support in the appointment of Mr LPHM Mtshali to the premiership of KwaZulu Natal and the chairmanship of the Party, and in the appointment of Dr BS Ngubane to the Deputy Chairmanship of the Party and as national Minister of Arts, Culture, Science & Technology.

Conference expresses its full confidence in Mr LPHM Mtshali who is uniquely skilled and qualified to carry the heavy burdens of the premiership of KwaZulu Natal and to give to the Province and the whole of the country an example of hard work, good administration and dedication.