Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi resorted to the politics of tantrums this week when he led a walkout from parliament. But more important than criticising this return to his pre-election ways is to understand why he is doing it and President Nelson Mandela’s somewhat limited options in dealing with it.
The immediate concerns that lay behind the actions of the Inkatha Freedom Party may have been Mandela’s dismissal of the notion of international mediation. Certainly, the ANC and National Party negotiators have been playing political games with the IFP over the issue.
And lurking in IFP minds is the likelihood that defector Daluxolo Luthuli, who is talking to investigators about his and other IFP leaders’ involvement in violence, is likely to be causing them some political headaches in the coming weeks.
But the IFP action also fits into a bigger picture. It is not the substance of mediation that is on Buthelezi’s mind: after all, he has not followed the natural path of dealing with these matters directly with the other parties before resorting to international intervention. The one issue he wants dealt with — the form of state — is on the agenda at the constitutional assembly. And the other — the role of the Zulu kingdom — has developed an element of farce now that the king himself is opposed to international mediation. Never mind, the IFP appears to be saying, if this king won’t play the game, we’ll find another king.
But Buthelezi is hoping that international mediation achieves what he has always striven for: the ability to negotiate on equal terms with the ANC and NP. This is unlikely to happen in the constitutional assembly or the cabinet, since he is there representing a regional party against the national victor. So he wants to create a different forum.
This presents Mandela with a headache. He must feel inclined to ignore the walkout from parliament, but this would too easily fuel conflict in kwaZulu/Natal in the build-up to the October elections.
So, Buthelezi, master of the well-timed tantrum, will have to be given some concessions until such time as Mandela is better prepared for a full-scale showdown.