An influential IFP leader believes the party’s 94-year-old founder Mangosuthu Buthelezi as the face of its election campaign next year would boost its electoral fortunes.
KwaZulu-Natal chair Thami Ntuli said Buthelezi’s history and legacy would help to boost the IFP’s fortunes in next year's electoral battle.
“Prince Buthelezi's legacy resonates with the voters — we have been using him as the face and brand of the IFP in our campaigns. In townships where we have not been enjoying support … as soon as we mentioned his name people were open to hearing us,” said Ntuli.
He said the party leadership had yet to take a final decision. “At the right time will inform how we approach the 2024 elections. What I can say is that his face worked well in 2019 and 2021 — the party will decide.”
Asked if the IFP was not overly reliant on the ageing leader and whether it would be able to continue without him, Ntuli said the party was focusing on the present situation.
“We don’t want to even go there, because it will seem as if there is a point in life where we expect him not to be there. What we know is, he is with us and he is playing an important role in guiding our president and the party.
“He has produced good leaders and continues to do so post-retirement. When we work to preserve his legacy, we do so with the same standards he holds and the same integrity,” Ntuli said.
KwaZulu-Natal, where the IFP is enjoying a resurgence of support, is the only province the party has a realistic chance of winning. Ntuli said the task now was to tap into nontraditional bases.
“We are beginning to gain support in urban and multiracial areas, an indication that proves the relevance of the IFP in all sectors of society. Of the leaders and members we welcomed recently, most are from the Durban area — that answers the question on the IFP being present in urban areas — but we have much more work to do in those areas to gain trust,” he said.
At the nadir of its slump in the 2011-2016 period, the IFP governed just two municipalities — Ulundi and Msinga. The number soared to 28 in 2021, albeit with the help of precarious coalitions.
Ntuli said the IFP had no plans to enter coalition pacts ahead of the elections next year.
“We are working towards an outright win, as much as we cannot say we are going to win. Our effort is to increase our support in the province and to win — that is what we aim to achieve,” he said.
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