Ann Eveleth
THE Inkatha Freedom Party is planning to strip all political powers from its secretary general’s post in an effort to prevent future holders commanding the influence over the party enjoyed by past incumbents.
Ben Ngubane, the KwaZulu-Natal premier and IFP acting national chairman, told the Mail & Guardian this week that party officials had agreed that the post should be retained, but largely as an administrative position.
The next secretary general – the current incumbent, Ziba Jiyane, steps down later this year – would not be involved in day- to-day political issues as this “detracts from the goal of creating a vibrant, cohesive and effective party,” Ngubane said.
The new secretary general would instead “service the party structures, ensure training goes on in the branches and that the programmes we have in terms of community involvement are implemented”.
Ngubane added that no clear contender had yet emerged as Jiyane’s successor.
Jiyane is expected to step down at the IFP’s national conference in July after an apparent fall-out with the IFP’s leader, Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Previous holders included high-profile players such as Oscar Dhlomo, who has quit politics for business, and Sibusiso Bengu, the current education minister.
Ngubane said he has worked “very well” with Buthelezi since taking over from Frank Mdlalose: “I’ve made all sorts of suggestions to him. He has shown me where there are difficulties, given me alternative perspectives, but we work well,” he said.
Ngubane also defended his recent provincial Cabinet appointments. He handed the safety and security portfolio to Traditional Affairs MEC Chief Nyanga Ngubane, despite a recent South African National Defence Force intelligence report alleging he was involved in paramilitary training.
Ngubane said he had “nothing tangible” to suggest that Nyanga Ngubane was unsuitable for the post, arguing that his dual portfolios would improve prospects for rural stability. “There’s a sense of neglect as far as safety and security is concerned with the rural areas compared to the cities.”
Ngubane said that if he fired MECs such as Prince Gideon Zulu, who faced similar allegations as Chief Ngubane, IFP supporters would be “baffled as to what possessed me. A person like Prince Gideon is absolutely revered in terms of him being a repository of Zulu culture, Zulu history. He leads the cultural events in song, in relating oral tradition and so forth.
“That man is not a lightweight among the Zulu people. So you don’t go on a flimsy thing which really has no substance and say I’m going to deal with this person by removing him from the government.”