Address by
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, MP
PRESIDENT OF THE INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY

'Our country's future requires that we know how to act upon the coming reality, however hard the challenges it holds'

I am thrilled to be here today amongst true friends and supporters in the Amajuba Municipal District constituency. When I look around me today, I am inspired by your commitment and dedication to the IFP cause. Your presence here today clearly spells out the message: 'a strong IFP for a strong South Africa.' Let me repeat that: 'a strong IFP for a strong South Africa.' iIFP enamandla South Africa enamandla!

As I said in Nongoma three weeks ago and I will say it again today: I will fight, and fight again, for the party I love because only the IFP offers the answers to South Africa's ongoing crisis of leadership.

At the present hour, the IFP is waging a battle for the heart and soul of democracy in South Africa. In just ten days' time, the "floor-crossing" window opens, allowing members of the National Assembly and the nine provincial legislatures to join rival or new parties. We are witnessing the thinning of democracy and the thickening of a one-party state.

The IFP, since this legislation was adopted, has taken a principled stand against floor crossing. The ruling party seduces defectors with the sweeteners of patronage and power. Cheque-book politics mocks the notion that defectors are simply exercising their political free choice.

And while the 'free choice' and 'constitutional rights' of parliamentarians are frequently evoked, the 'free choice' of the voters who elected them in the first instance has been completely removed from the political debate. The IFP has not forgotten the people. We have always championed an electoral system which combines proportional representation with a constituency element to prevent such undemocratic abuses.

It is an indictment of our new democracy that the leader of the United Democratic Movement has to suspend seven of his members of parliament in order to prevent them from joining other parties. This is not a judgemental statement. I can perfectly understand the problem of the leader of the UDM. It is a problem of every leader of all our opposition parties, because of this wicked legislation. We learn that even the Independent Democrats has charged then Deputy Leader of the Party, Professor Sono. All these ructions are a result of the floor-crossing legislation. It is a blemish on our Constitution.

And we have witnessed in recent weeks how anti-democratic forces are arrayed against the IFP. Our critics have all but written our political obituary. They say, almost in chorus, that the IFP faces the same future as the New National Party.

But they forget that the IFP is the second largest black political party and its demise would mean the end of multi-party democracy in South Africa.

You will recall how the NNP was digested into the soft underbelly of the ruling party. To those who say that the IFP will skulk away into the night or say that the IFP will be cannibalized by the ruling party, I say this: 'No, No, Never'.

For we know today that the IFP is the only party that prevents our multi-party democracy collapsing into a one-party state. Only the IFP can provide a muscular and vibrant alternative to the stale ruling party.

A strong IFP for a strong South Africa.

And let us be frank. Today the ANC does not look like the political force that won almost 70 percent of the vote a year ago. If anything, the recent developments within the ruling party offer a recipe for political instability. On Women's Day, we saw ANC supporters forcing the Deputy-President to abandon her speech in Utrecht, a few kilometers from where we are.

On Tuesday we saw COSATU, the ANC Alliance partner, calling for the reinstatement of Jacob Zuma, and for the withdrawal of the charges that our former Deputy President is facing. There was an editorial in The Citizen on Wednesday the 17th August on what COSATU is requesting. The long and short of what the editorial says is that COSATU just like many of us, was critical of Mr Zuma's trial by the media.

We all clamored for the implementation of one of the basics of our jurisprudence that every person must be given his day in Court. This has now been done. I do understand the qualms that COSATU has as to whether the Ex-Deputy President can have a fair trial after his trial by the media. We must all understand the point that was made by the Government spokesperson Mr Joel Netitshenze who reminded us of the separation of powers. And of the fact that when the President is sworn in, one of the promises that he makes is to uphold the Constitution whose very foundation is separation of powers.

To complete what is shaping up to be worthy of a Monty Python script, we saw President Mbeki thanking the very same COSATU delegates for helping the ANC "win" KwaZulu-Natal last year. He did not, of course, say how, but that is another matter. A political satirist of immense talent could not make up what is happening in the ranks of the ruling party.

Looking at what the President, his former deputy, and their respective supporters are saying and how they are contradicting each other, the traditional ANC voters can have no clear idea what their party really stands for. Does the ANC stand for the free market or COSATU's socialist interventionist policies? The house of cards is falling. The centre is collapsing.

As you will have read, it appears that the black economic empowerment company, Imvume, was a front for the ruling party to raise election funds last year. It secretly forwarded about R11 million to the ANC before last year's election. I am appalled, as I am sure you are, that the ruling party simply says that they do not question where their funds come from.

As I look how this province is being governed after a year of ANC rule, I remain convinced that our continued strong presence in this province is vital to KwaZulu-Natal's long-term success and prosperity. Instead of delivery, the people of the province have been offered a series of expensive imbizos at which they get to hear how fortunate they are to have an ANC government.

The ANC went ballistic when I said that KwaZulu-Natal will emerge from this poll either as free, viable and self-confident province or as a mere provincial extension of a one-party state. Their touchiness shows how they hate having the truth spelt out to them. Clearly, an exposed nerve has been hit.

The ANC thrives on ruling from the centre. They fervently believe that one-size sock fits all the feet in KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa. That is why they are ready to bring us policies that they know have failed in other provinces.

I do not despair, however. I believe the difference between the IFP and the ANC is the difference between what South Africa is and what it could and should be. This is why the forthcoming local government elections, which could be held any time between September 2005 and March 2006, are so important to the future of our Province. It is action that makes a material difference to an isolated, troubled or hungry community, not words.

Here is why. Local government provides the essential lifeline to our people. Municipalities bring hope to the remotest shack!

So the vision of whoever emerges the strongest from these Local Government Elections will prevail and decide the political future of this Province and indeed, multiparty democracy in our country. As I look back, ten years ago, all of us in South Africa and here in KwaZulu-Natal stood at a crossroads. We all had an important choice to make. The ANC promised our people much more than I and my party did. Back then, only they and we in the IFP knew they could not deliver. That never stopped them. Today more and more of our people are learning they have been deceived.

To those who may think that I am maligning the ANC as the leader of an opposition party, let me say the following. How do they explain the riots we saw even this week at Namahadi Township in Frankfort? These are revolts by ANC followers against ANC councillors. The people are disillusioned because they were promised so much.

And hardly anything worth writing home about, has been delivered. These riots are not isolated, we see them mushrooming in other provinces as well, such as the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape. All these are happening in areas which are governed by the ANC. ANC voters are turning against those they voted into office.

The ANC promised us a radical revolution. Instead, we have seen a slow drift into corruption, red tape and elitism. They promised us an all-inclusive society without special privilege. Instead, they have re-created the notions of us, destined for poverty, and them, earmaked by their political affiliation for social and economic empowerment. They promised a better life for all. Instead, they delivered a better life for few, mostly themselves.

South Africa's challenges have not changed much since 1994. If anything, they have grown more persistent and those of us who have had to put up with them are getting increasingly frustrated. Poverty and unemployment have become deep-rooted, structural and chronic.

But you know this best. Just ask yourselves here and now: Is it easier to find a job today than it was ten years ago? Does your weekly wage carry you further than it did in 1994? If your answer is no, it is a resolute no to the ANC.

The ANC today boasts 70 percent of the popular vote. That is an outright majority. But should not such a big party boast a big enough pool of ideas to tackle these problems? Judging by their growing enormity, it clearly does not. And yet they are looking forward to expanding their percentage not through voting, but through floor crossing next month.

I know a party which does boast a big enough pool of ideas to tackle our problems. This party does not hide behind excuses why things cannot be done. This party knows that there are no obstacles, only challenges. Things can be done. It is this party's confidence that has brought me to Amajuba today.

It is this confidence that has taught me that it is a privilege to be in opposition today. It is an enormous privilege to possess the truth in the face of a 70-percent majority. One day this party will be strong enough to say "We told you so". We may have been in a minority all these years, but we have always held the key. Our key is to a free and self-reliant South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal.

As I stand here today, I foresee a country and a province free of overregulation, micromanagement and a culture of dependency. I foresee a country and a province where jobs and homes come from the private sector, not the government. And I foresee a country and a province which is home to free-thinking individuals, not hostages of a ruling party.

Your resolute no to the ANC is therefore an enthusiastic yes to the IFP. It is also a powerful affirmation of the message I brought to Amajuba today: 'A stronger IFP for a stronger South Africa'.

A strong IFP means that we must prevail in the local government elections, we must be prepared. We must embark upon intensive Identity Document and Voter registration campaigns now. I urge all IFP branches to be on high alert and make these practical preparations today.

I have come here today to appeal to our members not to allow a situation where we lose this battle for hearts and minds by default. I am pleased to have to inaugurate the 20 branches that I was asked to come here to inaugurate. But I would be telling an untruth if I said I am thrilled to come to such a big District to inaugurate only 20 branches especially just a matter of days before our annual Conference.

Our Conference this year is a working Conference, and it is delegates that come from branches that will make decisions for our entire party. I know that our people are facing grinding poverty. I am aware that many of our members can hardly afford a meal a day and that it is impossible for some of our members to pay membership fees or renewal of membership fees. I appeal to those of you who have not yet renewed their membership to do so, so that you can send delegates to Conference.

We are not allowing people who do not represent branches to flood our Conference after being bussed to steamroll Conference, by imposing people with no locus standi, taking decisions for the Party. Apart from that, elections are all a numbers game, if we do not have IDs and if we do not register to vote in time, we will not be able to retain Amajuba, which we won so comfortably, in 2000.

As our Conference coincides with the day of registration, I appeal to our members to continue to register to vote as I assume our members have continuously been doing at all the Municipal offices. In most elections our party has been let down by our members who do not go to the polls. We know that some elderly voters do not go to the polls because of lack of transport. It is important that all our members should register to vote, and also go to the polls.

I remember that in 1999 more than a million voters in this province who were registered to vote just did not go to the polls. I am certain that these were mostly our members. We need to raise funds in order to prepare to ferry our elderly members to the polling stations to vote for us.

I want to appeal to our members to show more understanding of the fact that elections are a numbers game. I am referring here to conflicts which have brought us to Amajuba a number of times, which are all internecine conflicts. This is a very serious threat to any success for us in the elections. There are, for instance, cases where people do not agree on candidates. Quite often our members do not know that there is such a thing as the closing of ranks.

There may be two IFP members or more who want to contest the same ward. I have known a number of cases where we were defeated even in by-elections, because our members, once one person is chosen to stand for the party, he or she needs the vote of everyone in the ward. Some of our people decide not to vote when the person they preferred is not chosen. By doing so, they then hand over the ward to the other parties that are contesting it. We also emphasized at our annual Conference the importance of getting 50 per cent of the candidates from amongst our female members. We should approach this in good spirit and remain consonant with our Revolution of Goodwill. These things may appear to some of you to be unimportant but they are crucial to any success in the forthcoming elections.

I hope that the National Organiser and the POC will soon decide on how we select candidates for the forthcoming elections. I expect that some people may on their own want to make way for others. I also know that some councillors may again want to stand if the people want them. I think the earlier we sort this out the better it is for the party to do well in the forthcoming elections.

I also want to urge you to prepare for our Annual General Conference in two weeks' time. As part of my reformist agenda which I announced in my Address to Conference last year, we will be presenting a number of motions in order to make amendments to our Constitution as I suggested. Such as, for instance, the streamlining of our National Council. I also want you to consider what inputs you would like to make to shape and sharpen our public policy profile.

We depend on you to tell us what the concerns and aspirations of people on the ground are. We know what the IFP's timeless values are: self-help and self-reliance, people-centred decision making, ubuntu and compassion, to name a few. But we need to know how to apply them.

We need to show people we care about them. I invite you all, young and old alike, come to our Conference and inject your ideas into our policy discourse. Our country's future requires that we know how to act upon the coming reality, however hard the challenges it holds.

Let us not forget who we are. We are the Inkatha Freedom Party, strong, proud and bold. We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.