Enoch Mthembu and Ann Eveleth
INKATHA Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu=20 Buthelezi called his closest party allies=20 to a secret meeting in Pretoria on January=20 23 to determine the fate of KwaZulu-Natal=20 Premier Frank Mdlalose.
A senior IFP member who was briefed about=20 the meeting said it was the last in a=20 series of events that led to the=20 “resignation” of the premier. It started in=20 December when Mdlalose told Buthelezi that=20 he wanted to quit as party provincial=20 chairman but finish his term as premier.=20 According to the source, Buthelezi replied=20 that the two posts could not be separated.
A second IFP source said the matter=20 appeared closed until Buthelezi called a=20 meeting with illegal casino operators to=20 discuss Mdlalose’s attempts to shut them=20 down. “Mdlalose was very upset about that.”=20 He approached Buthelezi again, and was told=20 the matter would go to the National=20 Council.
A third IFP source, also a senior party=20 member, said the “crunch” came at the=20 Pretoria meeting. “Buthelezi was there,=20 together with some senior leaders – his=20 current inner circle – and they decided=20 Mdlalose must be forced to resign the=20 premiership as well.=20
“They talked about his desire to quit the=20 chairmanship, the gambling issue and his=20 closeness to [ANC chairman Jacob] Zuma.”
The IFP sources said the same series of=20 events lost secretary general Ziba Jiyane=20 his post. “Jiyane told the Presidential=20 Review Commission he would not run for a=20 second term, in order to forewarn them, but=20 he failed to tell Buthelezi directly. When=20 Jiyane announced it at the national council=20 meeting, Buthelezi got angry,” one of the=20 sources said. A number of IFP leaders=20 insisted that Jiyane should go immediately,=20 rather than wait until July, the source=20 said
“[Youth Brigade leader] Zenzele Pakhathi=20 said it was unconstitutional to make him=20 leave now, and that Jiyane had also spent=20 time in hospital. Then Buthelezi=20 compromised, but he said Jiyane will get no=20 party salary until the end of his term,”=20 the source added.
Another senior IFP member this week said=20 the party’s financial affairs were “the=20 root of all the party’s problems”.=20 Commenting on reports that illegal casino=20 operators had contributed to the IFP’s=20 election coffers, the source said: “It’s=20 not only the IFP. It cuts across political=20 parties and MPs and MPPs. These people give=20 money, expensive briefcases, expensive=20 perfumes and other favours to those they=20 think can keep them running. There was a=20 white BMW belonging to a big casino boss=20 parked at the provincial legislature this=20 weekend [during the IFP National Council=20 meeting]. What was it doing there?”
Mdlalose’s designated successor, Ben=20 Ngubane, denied this week there was=20 anything “sinister” about the resignations.=20 He said Mdlalose and Jiyane resigned for=20 health reasons, while Gauteng legislature=20 leader Musa Myeni quit to pursue business=20 interests.
Asked about the growing gambling scandal,=20 Ngubane said he didn’t think Mdlalose would=20 have resigned over such an issue: “There=20 have been far worse disagreements,” he=20 said.