Ivor Powell, Wally Mbhele and Wonder Hlongwa
While the African National Congress is confident that there is agreement with the Inkatha Freedom Party that its leader, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, will be South Africa’s next deputy president, the IFP is still being coy.
ANC sources say Buthelezi is expected to accept the position within days, with only the finer details of the post and its responsibilities to be worked out. A senior ANC official said there was “an unpronounced agreement” that the appointment was going ahead.
The deal has to be finalised ahead of the announcement of president-elect Thabo Mbeki’s Cabinet – which is scheduled to be made public early next week. But according to IFP national representative Musa Zondi, the IFP has yet to be approached with an offer. Zondi also said there was no guarantee that Buthelezi would accept a deputy presidency if the offer were forthcoming.
“It is not an automatic thing that the offer would be accepted. We wouldn’t necessarily jump for joy at the deputy presidency,” Zondi said.
Zondi expressed concern that the deputy presidency was apparently being downgraded to a ceremonial rather than an executive office.
On Wednesday the outgoing Cabinet approved a plan to restructure the Office of the President ahead of Mbeki’s investiture. In terms of the new plan, the existing offices of the president and the deputy president will be amalgamated within the presidency – and headed up by a single director general. The man named for the job is the Reverend Frank Chikane, currently director general in the Office of the Deputy President. Under the new system, functions previously fulfilled by Mbeki’s office will be centralised within the presidency.
Government representative Joel Netshitenze said the restructuring was approved last month in line with the recommendations of the presidential review commission. He denied that the deputy president’s office was being downgraded.
Zondi said his party would have to consider the powers and functions that went with any deputy presidency that was offered. “I don’t know if they think we are stupid that we are going to accept the position if it’s been cut down to nothing,” he said.
Since the plan was first mooted two years ago, IFP representatives have consistently denied that the offer of a deputy presidency had ever been made.
Mbeki this week reiterated his commitment to a continuing government of national unity involving the IFP. A coalition or looser arrangement with the IFP could increase the ANC’s two-thirds voting majority to a potent “African nationalist” voting bloc of more than 75% on most issues, especially those affecting development and social transformation. Excepted from this commonality of interest would be legislation seeking to reduce the powers of the provinces or the role of traditional leaders, where IFP policy diverges markedly from the ANC’s. It is unlikely however, that deals concluded at national government level will influence negotiations between the ANC and the IFP aimed at forming a coalition government in KwaZulu-Natal.
Well-placed sources said the issue of the deputy presidency had been divorced from the question of who would serve as premier in KwaZulu-Natal. Media reports suggested the premiership had been traded off against the deputy presidency.
However, the Mail & Guardian understands there is some form of resistance from the ANC’s alliance partners to the idea. The Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party view Buthelezi as being “anti-communists and anti- workers” and are said not to be excited about the deal.
SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said as far as his party is concerned, the emphasis on talks between the ANC and the IFP should be placed more on peace in KwaZulu-Natal than on Buthelezi being offered the deputy presidency.
He said the issue has never been whether the offer of the deputy presidency had been given to Buthelezi but the sealing of the peace process and co-operation in the government.
Talks aimed at consolidating a coalition government in the province were scheduled to kick off last night. On Wednesday the stakes were raised when Amichand Rajbansi’s Minority Front threw in its lot with the ANC, raising the party’s share of seats in the legislature to equal those commanded by the IFP, which came in with 2% more than its arch-rival.
Earlier this week the ANC removed another stumbling block from the path of coalition when it withdrew disputes over alleged voter fraud it had registered in 12 districts.
But the coalition could still be in jeopardy. Rajbansi’s move could make the ANC challenge IFPprovincial leader Lionel Mtshali’s claim to premiership. Mtshali wanted to meet the ANC on the understanding that his claim to the premiership would be recognised. But the ANC wants a meeting without preconditions.
The IFP has threatened it could still consider forming an anti-ANC alliance similar to the one that took shape in the Western Cape. In the wake of Rajbansi’s move to the ANC, the IFP accused the ANC of ganging up with minority parties “against the majority party in the province”.
The provincial government is due to convene within five days. Zondi was optimistic that the parties would strike a deal. “I have confidence in both parties,” he said.