The Inkatha Freedom Party may pull out of national government if the Constitutional Court rules in favour of defections next week, warn party sources.
The warning came as the African National Congress signalled it would take control of KwaZulu-Natal, should the Constitutional Court allow defections.
Five members of the provincial legislature crossed the floor to the ANC last week, giving it the majority to run KwaZulu-Natal.
IFP insiders said it was apparent that the provincial ANC move had its national leadership’s approval. When both IFP and the ANC failed to get an outright majority in KwaZulu-Natal after the 1999 elections, the parties forged a coalition arrangement to govern the province.
The ANC announcement triggered a flurry of court cases. The DA brought an interdict against the defectors’ participation in the legislature, while the ANC has also gone to court to stop the DA, the IFP and the United Democratic Movement from taking action against its new members.
The legislature’s scheduled sitting this week was cancelled, as emotions are “running high” in the province. The cabinet meeting was also cancelled.
IFP national spokesperson Musa Zondi warned this week that if the “ANC pushes the IFP out of coalition (in KwaZulu-Natal)” it could “seriously jeopardise the peace project in KwaZulu-Natal”. Inkatha would be “main loser” if violence broke out in the province, as it was not prepared to deal with it.
Reliable sources said IFP national chair and provincial Premier Lionel Mtshali warned the party’s national council a week ago that the Inkatha might find itself out of power after floor-crossing. Anticipating a possible shift in power, an IFP delegation led by Minister of Home Affairs Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s adviser, Mario Ambrosini, met the New National Party’s provincial leader “Tino” Volker on Sunday.
Confirming the meeting, Volker said the IFP was trying to get the Nats to vote against a possible no-confidence motion against Mtshali should the Constitutional Court rule in favour of defections.
Zondi responded that as the “governing party” in the province, the IFP was entitled to engage all parties.
DA leaders are believed to have flown to Durban this week in a trouble-shooting exercise. The DA is also considering legal action against its former chief whip and ANC defector, Belinda Scott, over her “fraudulent” receipt of DA membership data. Meanwhile the Cape High Court overturned the expulsion of eight Western Cape Democratic Alliance councillors in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Seven Cape Town unicity councillors — including former provincial party secretary Werner Schwella and Gawa Samuels, who held the Cape Town unicity housing portfolio — and one West Coast district council member claimed their names were incorrectly published on the NNP lists on June 19.