The IFP and the KwaZulu-Natal DA have signed an agreement where the two parties train their sights towards the ouster of the ANC in 2024.
- The IFP and DA have finally announced the charter for the provision of services in KwaZulu-Natal.
- The agreement will focus on their relationship in the councils, with the 2024 general election in mind.
- The two parties will co-chair municipal conventions and have a political oversight group made up of national leaders to resolve any troublesome issues.
The coalition and the KDP-KDP have signed an agreement formalizing their “common goal” to unseat the ANC in the province during next year’s elections.
The two parties agreed to a “historic” service agreement, which they described as the ANC’s worst nightmare in the territory.
“This agreement, which took six months to prepare and follows our successful collaboration in by-elections to win sections of the ANC, will ensure that where each party holds seats in a holding municipality, we will work together to improve service delivery and service delivery,” they said in a joint statement signed by Provincial President Thami Ntoli and his counterpart, the DA. Dean MacPherson.
The DA insisted it would still hold the IFP accountable where it rules.
The DA raised questions about a number of incidents involving wrongdoing by IFP mayors in the county, as well as questions of mismanagement.
Newcastle Mayor Zolani Dube’s bodyguards shot three people during a service-providing demonstration in mid-May, and they are also alleged to have been involved in another shooting a few weeks earlier.
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A special commission of the municipality of Abaculosi found against a member of the Abaculosi council and former mayor Mncidsi Mavisa after allegations of sexual harassment against him by his subordinates.
The mayor of Otokela, Prince Ntandwinkosi Shabalala, at one point had 12 bodyguards, at a cost of 10 million rand.
Autokela’s development agenda last month criticized the IFP for mismanagement after it had to return R40m from a municipal infrastructure grant to the national treasury.
After being questioned about how the IFP handled these issues when they entered into the deal with the DA, Ntuli said: “The IFP is one party that is able to deal with any wrongdoers. I think historically, we have been one party that has been able to redeploy our leaders for various reasons. And where there is evidence of wrongdoing, we do not hesitate to deal with such.”
The objectives of the agreement are:
- to ensure communities have access to service delivery;
- Residents and businesses are exempted from the dumping of obstructed loads by means of “access[ing] affordable and sustainable electricity”;
- Attracting investment and creating job opportunities in the local economy;
- Delegation of powers within the constitutional and legislative framework, which is what the Western Cape Development Agenda has called for;
- eradicate corruption and patronage networks;
- Promote multilingualism and enhance the cultural landscape.
‘A common goal’
Asked if the agreement does not affect the identity of the IFP, Natoli said: “We will campaign in the name of the IFP. We will have our own statement. This [agreement] It is about the current municipalities [where the IFP and DA are in coalition]. “
KwaZulu-Natal party leader Francois Rodgers said the cooperation agreement would address challenges in the municipalities and “pause”.
He added, “The Democratic Alliance will always remain with its identity. Our common mission here between the two parties is to remove the ANC from power. There is no other common goal.”
He said the agreement could lead to further engagement with the IFP “with 2024 in mind”.
“This is almost a sharing process. Loopola hasn’t been paid yet. There isn’t.”Open your mouth” [Nguni languages reference to the proposer’s request for blessings from the families to marry the other person] Not yet,” Rodgers said.
“But it gives us the opportunity to understand each other, the challenges, and how we are going to meet those challenges in order to achieve our ultimate goal: to remove the ANC from power.”
Also read | Protesters providing services were injured in a clash with the KZN Mayor’s bodyguards
Ntuli and MacPherson will chair a regional political task force, which will oversee issues raised by members of the bipartisan council.
If an impasse is not resolved, the issues will be escalated to a political oversight committee, made up of national leaders from both parties.
Ntuli said both parties understand that “time is important” before the elections.
“Now is the time to help the people of KwaZulu-Natal. We dare not let them down,” he added.
MacPherson revealed that the two sides burned midnight oil to reach an agreement on the formulas of the agreement.
MacPherson said the agreement was built on “consensus”.
“There’s no big brother approach to this. We want to find each other. That’s why it took so long to get to this point,” he said.
“Ziyakhala,” Rodgers said of ANC Secretary Bhike Mtulu at the end of the conference.
The Zulu reference describes a situation where one is going through a lot or when bad things are about to happen.