FP PRESS STATEMENT RELEASED BY: 
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi MP
President of the Inkatha Freedom Party

11th August 2008

I have taken note of the remarks made by the President of the African National Congress, Mr Jacob Zuma when he addressed the Twelve Apostles Church in Emgababa yesterday, urging believers to pray that the "IFP and the ANC may have this love demonstrated by you…so that there may be a marriage that results from this love".   

I wish to unequivocally state that whilst I share Mr Zuma's desire for our two parties to enjoy a good functioning relationship befitting our parliamentary democracy, a "marriage" or merger is not on the agenda today, tomorrow or in the future.   

Whilst I, of course, welcome a rapprochement between the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party, I wish to reiterate that history has cast our respective organisations in different roles and that the IFP will retain its distinctive identity as an opposition party and as a political competitor to the ruling-party. This is notwithstanding the common bonds of history between the country's two largest predominately black parties.  

As I stated in my online letter of August 7, 2008: 

"Whilst one appreciates this new generosity of spirit (as expressed by Mr Zuma and other ANC national leaders), I think it is important to unequivocally clarify that today our organizations are quite distinct animals in respect of our multi-party democratic order. 

"Moreover the cordial relationship between the respective parties' national leaders and the normalisation of party relations, in terms of how political parties in a multi-party democracy interact with one another has not yet filtered down to the provincial level". 

This, I went on to say, has implications for both the democratic health of our country and the ongoing process of reconciliation which are not mutually exclusive: 

"This, in itself, is not intrinsically a bad portent for multi-party democracy in the province. But at the same time, the relationship between the two parties must not be allowed to descend into bitter acrimony. This remains a pressing matter particularly as we fast approach the general election. Legitimate political competition and the ongoing process of reconciliation must be carefully balanced".   

It is important that IFP supporters and, for that matter, ANC supporters, understand that there is clear blue water between our two organisations about the direction that we wish to lead the country in. It is vital that we do not send contradictory signals to our constituents at this time.  

Furthermore even as far as the agenda of reconciliation between our two organisations is concerned, the lower echelons of the ANC leadership are constantly muddying the waters.   

I refer here to agendas such as the eThekwini Municipality street-naming exercise and the kind of insults hurled at me such as those last week by the leader of SASCO concerning the Mangosuthu University of Technology.   

It is difficult to listen with credibility to the good things that the top leadership are saying about reconciliation, while the lower echelons of the ANC leadership are continuing with their agenda of vilification of me and the IFP. 

It is important that IFP supporters and, for that matter, ANC supporters, understand that there is clear blue water between our two organisations about the direction that we wish to lead the country in.  It is vital that we do not send contradictory signals to our constituents at this time.  

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi MP 

Contact: Jon Cayzer, 084 555 7144