Inkatha Freedom Party national chairperson Lionel Mtshali’s appearance at the Democratic Alliance’s national conference in Johannesburg at the weekend underlines the fact that in politics there are no permanent enemies.
In 1999, when neither the IFP nor the African National Congress could secure an outright majority in the provincial elections, Mtshali was the only obstacle to a proposed IFP-Democratic Party coalition.
The IFP then had to settle for an ANC partner.
Numerous verbal duels in the legislature over the years underscored Mtshali’s distaste for the DA. Yet he stood on a DA platform on Saturday thanking the DA’s KwaZulu- Natal leader, Roger Burrows, for the role his party played in averting a “constitutional crisis” in the province last week.
At issue was the ANC’s refusal to endorse the budget of the IFP-led department of traditional affairs, on the grounds that financial transparency was lacking.
The DA supported the ANC’s stance, but proposed conditions for supporting the budget, including an undertaking that the IFP provide the required financial statements by the end of May. The IFP would agreed, much to the ANC’s satisfaction.
Mtshali made it clear that the bad blood between the coalition partners is far from over.
“ANC ministers” had threatened violence against the IFP, he said. The threats were allegedly made by KwaZulu-Natal housing MEC Dumisani Makhaye in the legislature last week after the IFP refused to endorse the ANC-led department of transport’s budget. Makhaye has denied the allegations.
An angry Mtshali said: “Those who live in glass houses must not throw stones. The auditor-general has also expressed concerns about the department’s taxi empowerment scheme Umthombo Investments. There are questions which have still not been answered.” Jaspreet Kindra/