Paul Kirk
Arthur Konigkramer, the treasurer general of the Inkatha Freedom Party and one of its earliest members, has resigned from the party after nearly 30 years’ service.
Sources within the office of the KwaZulu- Natal premier, Lionel Mtshali, this week confirmed they had received a letter from Konig-kramer in which he asked to be relieved of his duties as treasurer general and indicated that he no longer wished to serve in the provincial legislature. Mtshali is also the national chair of the IFP and would have forwarded the letter to IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
Konigkramer’s resignation follows allegations made by Thami Duma, the personal assistant to Buthelezi, that Konigkramer had been leaking damaging information about the party to the media – and in particular the Mail & Guardian.
While some party sources denied this was the reason for his resignation, others present at last week’s meeting of the party’s national council said Duma used the meeting to launch a vicious personal attack on Konigkramer, claiming he was an impimpi to the press.
The departure of Konigkramer is the latest in a series of blows to the party. The M&G has reported this year on two alleged scams involving the IFP’s Prince Gideon Zulu, KwaZulu- Natal’s MEC for population development and welfare, and on a National Intelligence Agency (NIA) investigation into Buthelezi’s alleged financial links to illegal casinos.
An IFP press release signed by Buthelezi after the M&G reported in April on the NIA probe into Buthelezi’s millions blamed the leak on “a well-known cranky member of my party”. At the time speculation was rife within the provincial legislature that this referred to either KwaZulu-Natal Minister of Finance Peter Miller or Konigkramer – although neither were mentioned by name. Konigkramer was not the source of the article.
The IFP treasurer general comes from one of Durban’s oldest families – the Konigkramers have two roads in Durban named after them. The family farm once consisted of most of Durban’s Berea and parts of Westville.
He is managing director of Mandla Mata Publishing, which has transformed Illanga news- paper from an institution that operated at an enormous loss to one of the most profitable newspapers in the country. He also runs Amafa – the restyled KwaZulu- Natal Monuments Council – which is responsible for maintaining KwaZulu-Natal’s museums and historical sites.
Konigkramer’s exit follows the departure from the party of Phillip Powell, a senior member of the provincial legislature and one of the leading figures in the IFP’s war against the African National Congress in the early 1990s.
Duma was not available for comment at the time of going to press. Konigkramer himself declined to comment.