Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s son, Tutu Buthelezi, is to stand against his father’s party in an upcoming municipal by-election in the Inkatha stronghold.
Tutu Buthelezi, who has registered as a ratepayers’ candidate, announced this week in the KwaZulu-Natal press that he had joined former Inkatha Freedom Party national chairperson Ziba Jiyane in his new National Democratic Convention
(Nadeco).
The by-election takes place in Ulundi — the traditional capital of the KwaZulu homeland where Chief Buthelezi long presided over the government — on September 7.
Tutu Buthelezi is a former Inkatha councillor in the town.
Asked if the by-election would be the first political test for his new party — which was started on August 13, Jiyane said even if his party did not win, it would give voters ”a choice”.
”We have nothing to lose really, even if we don’t win. We are giving supporters a chance to have a choice.”
Jiyane was suspended as national chairperson of the IFP after he questioned the lack of democratic practice in the IFP. He resigned from the party and shortly afterwards formed his new party. Jiyane himself won the national chairmanship after a landslide victory at last year’s IFP national conference against the incumbent and former KwaZulu Natal premier Lionel Mtshali.
Earlier on Tuesday, The Witness newspaper reported that while Chief Buthelezi was celebrating his 77th birthday at the weekend — Tutu was celebrating his new position as Ulundi branch chairperson of Nadeco.
Jiyane held talks with former president FW de Klerk on Tuesday. However, there was no announcement that De Klerk — who acknowledged recently that he no longer had a political home — would throw his weight behind Jiyane’s party.
Jiyane said on Tuesday that he could not predict how many, ”if any”, public representatives would cross to his party during the floor-crossing period which starts on September 1 and lasts for 15 days. Jiyane said he hoped that floor-crossers would come from both the legislature in KwaZulu-Natal and the national Parliament. – I-Net Bridge